Still Human
by ebmordecai
Summary: What does it take to hold on to your humanity during a time when death is literally all around you? For Zoey she will have to find the courage within her to face the unthinkable. But luckly for her she is not alone in this hell. Zoey/Francis.
1. Beginning of the End

**A/N: Hello everyone and thank you for looking at this story. It is my first fan fiction, so please be nice. Like mamma always said, if you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all, lol. No, any comment that would help me to make this story better is appreciated, just be kind! Anyway, I'm a die hard Zoey/Francis fan, yeah I know….I'm a chick, but love can blossom through an apocalypse right? We will see! The story will be written in Zoey's POV. So without further delay, here we go.**

"Zoey, I swear I'm about two seconds away from getting in my car and driving up to that damn college and wringing your neck young lady. How could you get three D's and a C?" Zoey knew this day would come sooner or later. She realized that hardly stepping foot in any of her classes would come back to haunt her and now she was paying the price.

"Dad, calm down please…." She started but was cut off by her father's rather loud voice making her wince. _"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN MY DAUGHTER IS ON THE VERGE OF BEING KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL!"_

"Jonathan, please stay calm, you are going to give yourself a migraine." Zoey heard her mother's voice in the background talking to her father. There was a sigh from the other end and a long pause. She could just picture her parents staring at each other wondering where they had gone wrong with her. It made her feel terrible that she had upset them.

"Dad, I know that you are extremely mad right now. I'm sorry ok. I will do everything I can this coming semester to get my grades up. I've not been kicked out yet.." Or at least she hoped it wasn't too late. There was an appointment with the councilor that she had missed that morning, and for the life of her she had no excuse why she didn't go.

A part of her knew that this was not where she wanted to be. She hated every minute of being in school, only getting through the boring day's that she did go to class by daydreaming of the last horror movie she had seen. That was what she loved best, grabbing the popcorn, remote and a fluffy blanket and entering the world of the undead. But Zoey knew that she could not tell her parents how unhappy she was. They would never let her drop out of school.

"Zoey, spring break starts in three days and I want you at this house as soon as possible. Me and your mother have a lot to discuss with you and hopefully by then I will be calmed down!"

"Sure dad, I'll be there Saturday." Zoey said softly. "Is Jamie there?" She heard her father call her brother to the phone.

"What's up big sis? So I heard you were flunking out. Way to waste mom and dad's money!" Zoey heard her father call Jamie's name in a warning tone. Laughter filled the phone and she couldn't help but join in. It was not a funny topic by any means, but to hear her 16 year old brother's laugh would make even the darkest of days look comforting.

"Jamie, please don't make this any worse for me ok. I'm coming home Saturday and I would like mom and dad to be in a decent mood." Zoey heard her mother coughing in the background as Jamie was telling her what he did at school that day. "Is mom getting sick?" She asked.

"Yeah I think so. She's been coughing all day, said she feels like she's getting the flu."

Zoey thought about that for a moment. It wasn't really flu season and her mother was never the one to be sick.

"Well anyway, I gotta go sis. I got a big game tonight and I'm pitching so wish me luck."

"Good luck Jamie. Kick some ass for me little brother." She said smiling.

"Hey Zoey?" Her brother spoke quietly

"Yeah Jamie?"

"Have you heard about what's going on….about the people getting sick and stuff?"

She had heard a little of the news this morning before her father called but didn't put too much stock in to it. But right now, hearing how small and quiet her brother's voice was, she started to feel uneasy thinking about what she had seen.

"Yeah Jamie I saw it, and don't worry about it. It's probably nothing and they will have it all figured out and fixed by the time your game is over."

"But Zoey they…never mind, you're right…nothing to worry about. I'll see ya in a few days. Love ya sis!"

"Love you too Jamie. When I get home we will have an all night zombie party."

"Ha! You and those dang zombies movies….sis, it's time to grow up and join the real world. Talk to ya soon."

As she hung up the phone, Zoey noticed the local breaking news and turned it up to hear what was being said.

"Tom, we really don't know at this time what we are dealing with. It seems like it is spreading fast though and everyone that comes in contact with someone who is sick becomes sick themselves. At this hour we have quarantined about 400 sick and dieing individuals and we have our best doctors and scientist on this while we try and figure out what is going on." Zoey watched the man in fatigues look to his left and take a deep sigh. He looked as though he had been in a war zone and the outcome was not good.

"General Nolan what would you tell people that are just tuning in to this broadcast about how they can prepare in case whatever this is spreads through the quarantine?" Zoey heard the nervous tone in the broadcaster's voice and a chill ran down her spine.

The General turned back to the camera with a dark look in his eye. "Tom, if this spreads, there will be no preparing. God help us all."

It was like one of those horror movies that she loved so much. That one look from the General's eyes told Zoey all that she needed to know. As she continued to watch, she saw them play feedback of an earlier taping of the quarantined facility.

There really wasn't much to see. Just a big building with military all around. No open windows or doors for the cameraman to film through. Zoey watched as the news team was asked to stop filming and leave the property immediately.

There was a knock on the door and Zoey, not realizing she had fallen asleep hours before, jumped to her feet disoriented. Her watch showed 12:30 a.m. as the moon shown brightly through her small window and she was taken aback that is was already night. Four or five hours must have passed since she watched the news report of the mysterious virus going around. That's what they had ended up calling it before she dozed off.

She stumbled to the door and clumsily opened it to see Sammy, from down the hall standing in her doorway.

"Hey Zoey, sorry to bother you but have you seen Rebecca? She went out a while ago and I haven't heard from her since. She usually calls or leaves a message, but I haven't a clue where she is.

"No Sammy, I've actually been sleeping for the past couple of hours, but if I see her I will tell her to get in touch with you." Zoey, thinking that was the end of the conversation, started to close the door, but Sammy stopped her.

"Hey, have you heard about that virus going around?"

Of course she had, that was all that was on T.V. ever since it first broke. "Yeah, I was watching it before I fell asleep."

"A…Are you scared? Cause you know I'm a little freaked out. They are reporting that the people who are getting sick, just all of a sudden turn and start attacking anyone around them. Some have even died."

Zoey rolled her eyes, "Samantha, don't believe everything that the T.V. tells you, including the news.

"Well just be watchful Zoey, I heard that a couple of the students and even some of the teachers are getting sick. I don't think they were able to stop it. Everyone is freaked out."

Zoey's head was swimming, just a few hours ago everything was fine and it was contained. Now Sammy was standing here in her door telling her that all hell was breaking loose. She was aware that Sammy was speaking but was too worried about her family to even care about what the girl was saying.

"I..I gotta go Sammy, I'll talk to you later." Zoey quietly closed the door and walked numbly to the phone. All she could think about was Jamie telling her earlier that her mom was feeling sick. What had he called it…..the flu?

She dialed the all too familiar number of her parent's home and listened to the ringing go on forever. Her dad's voice came through loud and clear in her foggy brain, but it was only the answer machine. She hung up before the message was through playing. Her dad's cell phone was turned off, which was not good……."His phone is never turned off." Zoey whispered to herself. Suddenly she turned to her room and started packing a suitcase. 'Screw my classes, I've already flunked out this semester anyway', she thought angrily. As she came back in the living room, she stopped and stared at the phone one last time.

"Get a grip Zoey, they are just fine and you know it. This isn't Night of the Living Dead or anything. God I swear if everything is ok, I'm laying off the horror flicks."

In her haste to leave, Zoey did not turn the T. V. off and as she closed the door to her dorm room, the Emergency Broadcast System came on.

"_This is a not a test…..This is the Emergency Broadcast System. Please do not for any reason go outside tonight. Stay inside with your doors locked. There has been a breach of the epidemic virus known as CFG163 by the United States Government. Again I repeat, do not for any reason go outside. Everyone is advised to stay indoors until__ further notice__._


	2. Three Men and a Lady

_**Three Men and a Lady**_

Zoey looked at her watch for the fourth time in 15 minutes and let out a growl of frustration. She had been stuck in this traffic jam for at least two hours now and it was becoming too much to take. Several times she thought of just turning around and going back to her dorm, but that was an impossibility seeing as it was bumper to bumper traffic both ways.

"Come on!" She said as she started tapping her steering wheel out of frustration. The horn looked really good to her at that moment but she knew it would get her no more closer to her destination.

She had been thinking about her family and what would have made them not answer the phone. It was late of course, but there was a phone right beside her parent's bed. There was no way they would ignore it's ring. She kept telling herself that everything was fine, and that it was not that long ago that she was on the phone talking to her dad and brother.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Zoey looked down as she noticed her fuel light come on. _"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! FUCK!" _She screamed inside the tiny compartment of the car. This was a nightmare and Zoey was it's main character. She was not yet out of town, yet too far away from a gas station. The car would be dead soon and in this traffic, that was very bad.

As if a beacon in a storm, the lights of the Red Stripe Bar was calling to her. It was on her side, so it was pretty easy to maneuver.

She stepped out of the car into the cool night's air and looked back at the traffic jam. It was unreal to see all of the cars packed together. The blackness of the night was starting to play tricks on her she thought, because she could have sworn that some of the vehicles were abandoned, just sitting idol as if it was suppose to drive itself.

Stepping into the bar, the first thing that hit Zoey was the strong smell of liquor. She wasn't really much of a drinker, but she wouldn't mind throwing a few back tonight.

She made her way to the bar and took a seat. Looking around she saw that not many people were inhabiting the bar, but considering the circumstances, she wasn't surprised. The slow rhythm of a country song drifting to her ears, from the jukebox, made her cringe. Country wasn't her favorite type of music, she preferred more upbeat music.

Looking around, her eyes landed on a table in the far back of the room. There sitting in the corner was an older looking man, with a green beret and matching green shirt and pants, smoking a cigarette. He looked as though he had seen better days. He looked up and saw her staring at him, slightly nodding his head in acknowledgement. She gave him a small smile and noticed how sad his eyes were, like he held some painful secret that was his burden to bear.

Four tables over from the sad old man was a younger man. He was wearing a white dress shirt and dress pants. Zoey's first thought was what would someone like him be doing in this place. He was dress much too nicely to be in here, but she guessed a lot of things were off about this night. He was nursing a beer with his head laying on the palm of his right hand. He was deep in thought and looked like he had had a rough day. 'So I guess he does belong here', she thought to herself.

"Hey Tommie, get me a whiskey." Zoey looked over to see a man sit down at the bar with her. Her first impression was to run. He had massive shoulders with muscles as big as a car. His head was shaven short and she swore she had never seen that many tattoo's. He was wearing a vest and blue jeans, and he fit in this place perfect. She suspected there was a motorcycle out in the parking lot somewhere. She watched as the bartender….Tommie, sit the whiskey down in front of biker boy and then in a second it was gone.

Looking around some more, she realized that there were just two other people in the bar, other than her and the three men. The bartender was one of the two other people.

The other person was a young guy, maybe early twenties, sitting off from everyone. He looked like he was either drunk or sick. He was practically laying on the table not moving. She wasn't sure if she should speak up and get someone to check on him or just let him be. Everyone in this place seem to need to be here except her. She should be warm in her bed, not stuck in a bar, judging everyone.

"Miss can I get you anything?" Zoey looked back at the bartender as he waited to take her order.

"Um…..diet coke please." She heard a quiet laugh coming from the direction of biker boy and looked over to see him staring at her with a slight smile.

"You come to a bar to order a diet coke? Let me guess, you're underage?"

Zoey's face turned four shades of red before she could look away from him. He had just embarrassed her, so much for the nice, 'hello how are you tonight?'.

"As if it's any of your business how old I am, I assure you sir, I am of age. As for being here tonight, believe me this is the last place I want to be."

Biker boy was caught off guard that a tiny thing like Zoey would speak to him that way. For a moment several different emotions passed on his hard face until it landed on amusement. That made her more mad. She was not in the mood to entertain anyone tonight, certainly not someone like him.

"Francis, lay off her. It's been a rough day for all of us." The bartender spoke up in her defense.

Zoey watched as a dark look passed over biker boys' face. His attitude went from amusement to somber in a matter of seconds.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zoey noticed the man that looked like he was drunk, fall to the floor. She jumped to her feet and ran to his side. She had taken a CPR course a year ago. Before she could get to him the old man with the beret stopped her.

"Ma'am I don't think it's such a good idea to get any closer to him."

Zoey was stunned at first. "Sir, he need's help. Please move out of my way." She tried going around him but he stepped in front of her way again.

"Ma'am trust me, you don't want to go over there. Please just sit back down and enjoy your Diet Coke."

Was he serious. He was just willing to sit there and watch someone who obviously needed medical attention to just be ignored. That was it, she had had enough. First her father yells at her about her school, Sammy tells her the world is ending, she was stuck in a traffic jam, no gas, biker ass whole embarrassed her and now this old man is trying to stop her from helping someone.

"Sir, if you don't get out of my way, that man on the floor won't be the only one in need of medical attention. Be so kind as to remove yourself from my path." She saw the surprise on his face for a moment and heard biker boy's bellowing laughter. Slowly, the old man stood out of her way and she proceeded to walk to the man on the floor.

The first thing she noticed was the stench coming off of the man laying there. It was like rotting meat yet something more potent that she could not put her finger on. She tried to roll him over, but found that he was too heavy for her to even move a little.

"Will someone please help me?" She asked to the men staring at her. Nobody moved for a moment and she didn't expect them to. Finally she watched as the man with the dress shirt and dress pants walked towards her. He bent down towards the mans legs. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Ok I need you to grab his legs while I grab his shoulders and let's slowly turn him on his back." She gave him the instructions and counted to three. It took some effort but they finally rolled the man over and both Zoey and the nice dressed man jerked back.

The stench was even worse than before. Even Biker boy and beret man stepped back a few feet. Zoey looked down at the man and gasped at what she saw. Gangrene had set in over every visible part of the man's body. She had never seen anything like this before, but before she could react to that, she felt pressure on her throat so tight that she started to see black spots. Not even an ounce of a scream could be formed in her tightly shut throat.

She watched horrified as the man stood up and carried her with him. His hand firmly capturing her, trying to choke the life right out of her. Such rage, as she had never seen before was staring at her out of those cold dead eyes. 'Oh God, I'm gonna die.' She thought hysterically.

She watched as biker boy came out of his shocked stage and ran to help. As soon as he got close to the man, he reached out and grabbed biker boy by the vest with his free hand and threw him clean across the room into the opposite wall. Dress shirt man took a step back after seeing what this monster could do to biker boy.

Zoey was starting to lose consciousness as she heard the click of a gun. The room was filled with a loud piercing scream of the bullet being fired into the man's head. Zoey dropped to the ground covered in the man's blood and brain matter coughing and sucking in as much air as possible. She had been so close to being killed and she didn't even want to begin to think about what was caked on her at this moment.

"Now see little missy, that is why you should always listen to your elders." Zoey looked over to the old man as he was speaking and cleaning his gun. It was like nothing had happened, like he didn't just blow a man's head off. He really did have some issues. And after what just happened, so did she. Getting up from the floor, she made her way back to the bar and sat heavily onto the seat.

"I think I will change my Diet Coke to the strongest fucking drink you have."


	3. How Long

**A/N: Hey everyone. I see that I have gotten some hits on this story but only one comment. Don't think that's a good thing, lol. Anyway, I will continue with it I guess. Like I said it's my first try at writing, so it's probably not that good, but I'm enjoying it. I did not put a disclaimer in the first Chapter so here it is….Of course you all know I make no money or profit from writing this story, nor do I own any of the characters.…….. I just like playing with them. **

**And for 0clairebear0 please don't kill me yet....wait till after I finish the story :)  
**

**How Long**

The sound of the juke box changing songs made Zoey slightly jump. She slowly turned her head towards it only to hear another country song start playing. No one spoke as if they are were too afraid to break the silence. She looked towards the bartender to see that he had not moved from his spot and was staring directly at her. She must look frightening to him with the dead man's blood on her. She looked down at her bloody hands to see them shaking uncontrollable.

"What just happened?" She heard the well dressed man ask.

"Ahhgggggg!" Zoey whipped her head around in the direction of where biker boy was thrown. Due to her shock, she had totally forgotten about him. Jumping up from the booth she was sitting on, she walked towards him. He had sat up and was slowly rubbing the back of his head, with a dark scowl on his face. She stopped a few feet away from him as he looked up at her.

"What the fuckin hell was that? He just threw my ass clean across the room!" He said as he slowly got to his feet.

"Are you ok?" Zoey asked him. He did not answer her at first, only looking at her as if she had grown two heads.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just got a fuckin headache right now…..God I hate headaches." She watched as he put his head in his heads for a second. "You ok? Is that your blood or his?" He asked pointing to the dead guy on the floor.

Zoey shuttered remembering how she watched the man's head explode all over her. It remaindered her of the watermelon fight her and Jamie had gotten in to one summer. Watching the watermelon as it fell on the hard concrete ground, shattering into a million pieces, that's how that man's head looked. For a moment Zoey thought that she might throw up in front of everyone. She felt the bile rise and it took everything she had to keep it down. This was not the time to lose it in front of these people.

"His." She whispered. Biker boy shook his head in understanding and started walking to the bar. Zoey couldn't move for a minute, it just seemed so surreal. She could feel the blood start to dry on her face and in her hair and it didn't help the sick feeling she had. Turning towards the door of the bar she saw her car and knew sooner or later she would have to change, a long hot shower sounded too good at this point.

She heard the jukebox cut off suddenly and looked over to see the old man pull the cord from the back. "Enough of that shit!" He said to no one in particular. She watched as he went and sat back down at his table, finishing his drink. Putting her hands in her pocket, Zoey pulled out the keys to her car and somehow found the strength to make her legs work. As she got to the door she heard someone come up behind her, looking around she saw the well dressed man standing there.

"Thought I would come with you. Some fresh air would be nice right now." Zoey nodded her head in agreement and they both proceeded to step outside. The first thing that struck her was how quiet it was. It seemed not even the cars were making much noise and this frightened her. She walked to the Ford Focus that her parents had given her when she went off to college. The thought of her parents made her almost breakdown, and her brother, God he must be so scared right now she thought. Popping the trunk, Zoey reached in to grab her suitcase, hoping like hell there was some kind of shower in the bar.

"I'm Louis by the way." Zoey looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Zoey." she said simply.

"Zoey, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"No, not a clue….just that it's some kind of virus, that's all the news was saying. I didn't even know that is was bad."

Just then there was a scream in the alley across the street. The sound was something that Zoey had never heard in all her eighteen years. It was so chilling that for a moment she thought that it couldn't be real. A part of her, the morbid part, made her want to go check it out, just to see what would make something produce that kind of sound. The other part….the sane part, told her to get her ass back in the bar. She stole a glance at Louis and notice that he had went pale, which was a hard thing to do seeing as he was black, but she could see the horror in his eyes, and decided that it was time to get back inside. Turning to walk back inside, she noticed that biker boy was standing in the doorway watching them. He must have heard the scream as well, because he was looking from them to the alley that it had come from.

When she got back inside she asked the bartender if he had a shower that she could use. Luck was still on her side because he shook his head yes and went to show her the way.

As she walked into the bathroom, she got a good look at herself in the mirror and stood there staring in shock for a few minutes. The blood had dried on her face giving her a look as though she had bathed in blood. She could see little pieces of white and matted hair on her cheek and she finally lost it. Falling before the toilet just in time for the bagel that she ate that morning to make it's way into the porcelain god. Zoey did not even realize that she was crying until she fell back against the wall and let her tears fall shamelessly down her face. She felt she deserved a little breakdown after what had just happened.

After a few minutes she finally made herself get up and start the shower. Standing there underneath the hot water, made her feel a little better, as if the water could wash away the memory of that man's head exploding as well. She knew that her sleep would be filled with nightmares for a while to come. grabbing her soap, she started scrubbing her skin raw, not feeling clean enough.

She stayed under the water until she was shaking from the coldness that it had turned into after using all the hot water. Slowly stepping out she reached for a towel and started to dry herself off. Looking into the mirror she saw herself again, and thankfully the only thing that was red was her eyes from the crying.

Looking into her bag for some clothes, she pulled out her favorite jeans, a white tank top, and a red pull over. She had noticed when she went to grab her suitcase earlier that the night had turned slightly chilly. She wasn't planning on staying too much longer, and wanted to be dressed comfortably.

Walking back into the bar, all eyes turned to her. She noticed that the old man, Louis, and biker boy were all sitting at the bar watching the T.V.. Walking over to join them, she noticed that it was the local news.

_"I want to repeat this for everyone again….the Emergency Broadcast System has advised everyone to remain inside. If you believe you are infected, remain calm and go to the nearest hospital. You might be experiencing flu like symptoms which is one of the first signs of the virus." _

Zoey felt her whole world come crashing down on top of her. Wasn't that what Jamie said their mother was feeling. "Dear God!" She whispered.

_"If you suspect someone is infected, please stay away from them. Not only is it contagious but some the side effects from the virus are disorientation, anger, vomiting, boils, and in most cases even death. Again, please be advised to stay inside and away from any infected." _

The bartender turned away from the T.V. to face Zoey as he spoke. "You got that man's blood on you…..he was obviously infected, which means now you're infected."

She had not even thought about that fact. If he was infected, that only meant one thing……she would be next. The thought made her start looking around frantically at the four men watching her. How long would it take for her to start feeling sick and then what did they say……attacking people? She slowly scooted off her chair and walked to the window, looking out at the dark street.

"I want you out of my bar now!" The bartender's terrified voice broke through Zoey's thoughts as she turned around to meet his gaze.

"I don't have any way of getting out of town. I have no gas in my car to even get ten miles down the road. Where am I suppose to go?" She asked desperately.

"I don't care, just get out of here before you get us all sick." The anger in the bartender's voice caught Zoey off guard. She supposed she couldn't really blame him, he was scared and she understood why he wanted her out. Still, the thought of being out there without a way around was not something she wanted to experience.

"Wait a minute Tommie, you can't possibly think of sending her out there. You heard that scream as clearly as I did….whatever made that sound is still out there!" Biker boy said as he stood up sending daggers into the bartender.

"Yeah I heard it, and I'm trying to prevent that sound from coming out of this bar! Francis you saw all that blood on her as clearly as I did……don't you think she would be infected now?"

"Maybe, but just sending her out there by herself with no way of getting around is crazy. Just wait till she shows signs of being sick, then send her on her way….until then, don't even think about it"

Zoey was stunned to hear him speak to the bartender like that. He did not know her from Eve, yet he was trying to save her life. Just looking at him, you would not have believed he would have given a damn.

"I agree. It's too early to start thinking she's sick. Just everyone chill out and have a drink. It won't hurt us to wait it out." Zoey gave Louis a thankful nod for speaking on her behalf.

"Are you guys crazy or something? Oh yeah let's sit around and wait to die! Idiots!" The bartender started making his way towards Zoey, who slowly started moving backwards towards the wall.

"Son, if I were you, I would just make my way back over behind that bar and shut your damn mouth. Nobody is kicking anybody out of here and if they try, well……I used this gun one time tonight and I don't mind using it again." She watched as the old man held the gun up for everyone to see. That made the bartender stop in his tracks. He and the old man stared one another down for a few seconds before the old man spoke again. "If you don't agree with us, why don't you be the one to leave?"

She watched the bartender turn his full attention to the old man as he spoke. "This is my establishment and if I want someone to leave…..they leave old man!" He started walking back towards where Zoey was standing when there was a click that filled the quiet room. Everyone turned to see the old man's gun pointed in the direction of the bartender.

"Do I need to take some practice shots to prove to you that I'm not playing, cause believe me I won't mind." His deadly voice made him seem years younger than he was.

Slowly the bartender made his way backwards towards the bar, gulping in a breath of air like a fish out of water. "You just stay over there and don't step a foot closer to this bar, or I will shoot without a care as to what that old man will do." He said to Zoey without looking at her.

She clumsily sat in the nearest chair wondering when the first signs of the virus would hit her. Even though she didn't want to be out there right now, she didn't want to put these stranger's in any more danger then they already were. For a moment she thought about just leaving….if she was infected, what was the worst that could happen, but maybe there was a chance she was alright…..there could be some immune to this nightmare right? She put her head in her hands as the realization of her situation came crashing down. It was only a matter of time now, and it would be all over for her.

She heard someone sit down across from her and looked up to see biker boy watching her. She thought for a moment that maybe he had a death wish being this close but couldn't tell him to get away. She felt comforted that he didn't seem to be scared of her like the bartender was.

"And how long do you suppose we wait to see if she turns?" The bartender spoke from is position at the bar.

"As long as it takes." Biker boy said looking directly at her.

_**Comment pretty please!!! :)**_


	4. The World Behind the Glass

**A/N: Yea! Thank you for the comments! They make me feel all warm inside. **** I'm glad that someone else besides me is enjoying the story. I know I'm taking forever to get to the all out apocalypse but I assure you that it is coming and very soon. Again….I do not own any characters in this story, the belong to Valve and no profit is being made….yadda yadda yadda!**

_**Spedclass**_**: Thank you for your review! Glad you are enjoying the story**

_**Stormic09**_**: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad to see people wanting me to go on with the story**

_**OclairbearO**_**: Oh gawd, not the witch!! I would rather deal with a Tank….lol, thank you for you review and for sticking with the story! **

**The World Behind the Glass**

"The name's Francis by the way." Zoey raised her head from where she had it resting on her arm, to see him looking at her.

"Nice to meet you Francis…..I'm Zoey. Um, y…you must have a death wish being this close to me." She whispered. It had been an hour since her standoff with the bartender and still nothing. She was feeling fine, just a little tired. It was three in the morning and she really wished to be in her bed sleeping. She put her head back down on her arm again.

"Nah, not really….just want to be prepared this time, don't really want to be thrown into a wall again….that shit hurts." She slowly raised her heard to look at him again. He was giving her a crooked smile. 'Was he joking about this?' She wondered to herself. She couldn't help herself, the laugh just kinda found it's way out of her mouth. It took her by surprise but for the life of her she couldn't stop laughing. The three men at the bar were looking at her like she was insane, and for a moment she thought she very well could be.

" _This just in…..we have exclusive live footage of the YMCA on Hampton Street, David do you hear me?" _

Her laughing was cut short as both her and Francis looked over at the small T.V. at the bar. The tall, blond haired man, who she assumed was David, was standing in front of the YMCA looking around wide eyed. Something caught his attention to the right, just out of the camera's angle. There were screaming and the familiar orange glow from a car on fire.

"_To….Tom, I am here at the YMCA and the scene around me is one that is almost horrifying to explain. There is pandemonium all around me. People are attacking other people and……Oh my God look at that…" _

Slowly the camera turned to the right where the blond newsman had been looking earlier. The shot was out of focus but soon righted itself. What greeted the five pairs of eyes glued to the T.V. was something that only Zoey could imagine in one of her horror movies. A group of six men were surrounding two women. Almost as if they were playing with these terrified women they approached them slowly. Zoey did not want to watch, yet could not look away. She found herself getting to her feet and slowly walking towards the T.V. like it was calling to her. She noticed that Francis was doing the same thing. The bartender was so caught up in the news footage that he did not seem to notice that she had made her way back to the bar.

The six men had made a circle around the women, who were clinging to each other as if the other were a lifeline. Without so much as a warning the men charged the women. The screams were something that Zoey knew none of them would be able to get it out of there minds.

"What the fuck." She heard Francis whisper. Taking her eyes from the screen she looked around at the four men that stood watching this scene with her. They all had the same facial expression that she did…..disbelief. A piercing scream brought her eyes back to see one of the men rip an arm off of the woman. Zoey staggered back a couple of steps not comprehending what she was seeing. The other woman wasn't doing any better. She was bleeding from everywhere, her blond hair now darkened with blood. She was pushed up against one of the cars, desperately trying to defend herself. It was no use, she was too outnumbered and no way to fight off the men attacking her.

"Someone help her." Zoey heard herself whisper, as if her pleas would help those poor defenseless women.

No sooner had she whispered those words, than when they watched a man with a grey hoodie approach the crowd of men. Zoey couldn't see his face for the hood of his jacket covering his head. 'Finally someone was gonna help these poor people' she thought. But as that thought barely came into her mind, the man with the hoodie crouched down low as if to pounce. And pounce was what he did, Zoey had never seen someone jump that far before. The camera angled itself closer to the victims as the hooded man found it's mark on one of the women. The first thing that Zoey realized was how easily flesh could be cut with long sharp nails. The hooded guy was so fast that for a moment Zoey thought it was a trick of the camera.

The blond newsman let out a shrill scream that seemed to get the attention of the six men standing not twenty feet away.

"_David…..DAVID! Get out of there right now….God almighty! David do you hear me?" _

The broadcaster that sat safely in his seat at the news station was frantic, yelling for the other man to run. Zoey thought for a minute how ironic it was…..wasn't news people suppose to keep a calm head about them, not let the news effect them….kinda like looking in from the outside? There was no reply from the newsman known now as David. The T.V. was showing the back of his legs, as the cameraman ran behind him to get away from the murderous people. They did not get very far before the cameraman was knocked off his feet. The camera fell out of his hands on it's side. As if to taunt the views, it landed at an angle where only the cameraman's face was showing. They watched horrified as the men attacked the helpless man and ripped his face to shreds.

There was a scream and Zoey realized it was coming from her. She turned suddenly and ran to the window, her breathing was coming out in shallow breaths. If she didn't calm down she would pass out in a few seconds. Looking out into the streets, she tried to get a hold of herself, which was hard to do….she had just watched three people being violently murdered on live T. V..

" _Oh GOD….CUT THE FEED….CUT THE FEED!" _She could hear the newsman at the station yelling to the people upstairs…it was too late, everyone had seen what had happened, no sense in cutting the feed now is there?

"The YMCA is only two miles away from here." The bartender spoke up after a long silence. Everyone turned to look at him. His eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets and she expected at any moment for them to fall out….it would fit the night so well.

After several commercials the newsman's face again appeared on the screen. _"Uh…we, here at channel 14, have decided that it's best if we all go home to our families and to safety." _Clearing his throat, he looked down at the mess of papers that were in front of him. Tears could be seen in his eyes unshed. _"We…..we will be looping the Emergency Broadcast System's message for the rest of the night. You all saw first hand what could happen, being out on the streets tonight. Please, I beg you, stay inside….get…get to a safe place and wait for daylight." _

Suddenly the feed went dead for a few seconds and the Emergency Broadcast System started to play the message that was heard previously. Zoey made her way back to her seat in the back, and put a hand over her mouth to keep the scream from escaping again. What was happening? This had to be some crazy, sick joke someone was playing on them.

"We gotta get out of here." Louis was saying as he paced back and forth. "My God, they just killed without a second thought." He was starting to sound as hysterical as Zoey felt.

"We?" Francis looked at him quizzically. Louis stopped and stared at Francis for a moment. "Yeah _we_….I…I think that if we all stay together, we could have a much better chance of defending ourselves. You go out there alone….I think you would see a fate similar to those people on the T. V..

Francis snorted and turn to walk back towards the seat across from Zoey. "I don't play well with other man….sorry." 'Don't play well with others?' Did he think this was some kind of game?

"So what are you gonna do son, go out there and fight them all? You gonna go all Dirty Harry on em?"

The old man said shaking his head. Francis looked dangerously at the man.

"What would you do old man….beat em with your cane? You wouldn't get ten feet down the street without breaking a hip."

This was getting out of hand, now was not the time for them to be fighting with each other. Zoey totally agreed with Louis here. If hey stayed together, they would have a better shot at surviving. If they kept a cool head they could possibly find a way out of this mess…..and maybe a way to her parents house. The ache returned to her heart as her family's faces shot through her mind. She would not think of them right now…..or she would never make it without breaking apart.

"Enough." She whispered. Francis slowly turned to look at her and for a minute she thought he would have a smart ass comment to shoot at her, but after a few seconds, he said nothing.

"Louis is right. Staying together is the smartest choice. Whether or not you think so, it's true….safety in numbers." She heard the bartender laugh at her comment. Looking in his direction, she noticed he had pulled his shotgun out and sat it on the bar. "Something funny?" She asked heatedly.

"Yeah…you. You're probably one of them so of course you want us to stay with you…..so you can rip our faces off like that guy on T.V."

She was getting pretty tired of this guy and is accusations. It had been well over an hour and not so much as a cough had come from her. She wasn't sure how long it usually took people to change, but she felt as though if it were going to happen, it would have happened by now.

"Tommie….shut the hell up already! It's been a while and she still looks okay to me." The bartender looked over at Francis and shook his head.

"Just cause you want to fuck the girl, doesn't mean I gotta…." He didn't get to finish the sentence before Francis was on his feet walking towards him. The bartender reached for his shotgun and aimed it at Francis' head. "Not another step or I shoot." Francis stopped where he was, rage coming off of him in waves. Zoey was rooted to her seat….her already fragile mind was beginning to break and she suspected she wasn't the only one on the verge of going crazy.

"Come on man…take it easy." Louis said with his hands in the air as if the gun was on him. "We are all just a little stressed right now, don't do something stupid."

"_Fuck_ this, I'm not staying here another minute waiting on these lunatics to get me, or that bitch to turn. You people are on your own." With the gun still pointed at Francis, the bartender made his way to the entrance of the bar. He took one long look out into the darkened street and unlocked the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you son!" The old man said calmly.

The bartender didn't listen and stepped outside, letting the door slam behind him. For the first time that night, Zoey noticed that there were people walking around out there. Their strides were off, like they were just walking aimlessly around. Some had fallen down on the streets, with there heads hung low. Others were perched over a lamp post or trash bin vomiting. Something was definitely not right.

They watched as the bartender made it to his car. As he hunted for his keys, some of the people not too far away from him took notice. They were up on their feet in a second, running wildly towards the bartender. He had just made it into is truck and shut the door, when a horde of people ran straight into the truck's door. Francis, Louis and the old man jumped up, startling Zoey.

The old man was at the door first, banging it open, pointing his gun at the closes person to him. Before he could fire, there was a sound of metal being pulled a part and they all watched as the horde tore the door straight off the man's truck. In less than a second, the bartender was out of his truck and into the middle of the horde. His screams crawled over Zoey's skin like insects. The scream was drowned out by the sound of the old man's gun. Two, three, four of the infected dropped dead to the ground, yet there were more there to take their place. Something hit the glass window hard and slid down. It looked like the bartender's arm, but Zoey could not be sure….it was out of sight now.

There was a click and a swear as the old man ran out of bullets. He took one last look at the bartender, who now was deathly quiet, and slammed the door. They stood there for a moment completely engrossed in the unimaginable scene in front of them. Slowly one by one, the infected people looked to the glass windows. Zoey noticed how inhuman they looked. Their eyes were pools of dead black, some of their skin had fallen off to reveal the skeleton underneath. Opening their mouths to let out a animalistic scream, they charged at the bar. Scratching and biting at the window, they were desperate to get in.

"Um….guys, I don't think that glass will hold much longer. We got to go and fast!" Louis' voice could barely be heard over the horde's screaming.

"Is there a back door out of this place?" Zoey asked to no one in particular.

"Let's hope so, cause I really don't feel like dieing today. She heard Francis say right behind her.

As they reached the back of he bar, the saw the emergency door ahead of them.

"My car is just outside of this door….if we can make it, it has plenty of gas. I have a gun in the glove compartment as well." Louis said.

As they ran towards the door to, what they hoped was an empty parking lot, they heard the glass to the window's of the Red Stripe bar give way, and the animalistic scream that spelled all their deaths.

**Okie dokie…..you know what to do!!! Comment people, Comment!!**


	5. The Long Drive

**A/N: Okay, so I was playing versus mode a little while ago, and it made me want to write some more. So again, all you smart people know that I don't profit from this story, nor do I own the characters…but I do own the game, which of course is kick ass!!**

**YesAnimeCharactersCanBeSexy****: Thank you so much for your feed back. You gave me a lot of good pointers that I appreciate!! I don't mind anyone's input as long as they are nice about it, which you were, so thanks!! I will try and work on the things you said. ****J**

**Itachirocks31****: I'm glad that you are enjoying the story. Your right about there not being a lot of good game stories. That's why I wanted to try my hand at it, see if I was any good. Your review gives me some confidence…thank you! **

**Striker1246****: Ha! I know what you mean about the reviews. Everytime I see that I have a new review I do a happy dance!! I'm such a dork! I know, don't you just love Bill. He is pretty badass. I'm glad I'm doing him justice!**

**The Long Drive**

The cool night's air felt good to Zoey's flushed face. The old man led the way out into the back parking lot, with Louis behind him, then Zoey and Francis. If all hell wasn't breaking loose around them, this would have been a great night just to enjoy the cool air. But the stench hanging in the air, reminded all of them what was taking place tonight.

"My car is right here." Louis said as he turned to their right towards a black Toyota Camry. Thankfully there weren't any infected out here.

Louis unlocked the door and they all climbed in. Louis was in the driver's seat with Bill right beside him in the passenger's seat. Zoey crammed in the back with Francis.

There was a loud crash and everyone but Louis turned around to look. Pieces of wood, from the door, were flying everywhere as arms were coming out of the door that, thankfully, Francis closed.

"_LOUIS HURRY!" _Zoey screamed.

"I'm trying…..Damn it car come on."

Of all the things that could happen at this moment, it just had to be the car not starting, Zoey though to herself. If she wasn't about to piss on herself out of fright, she would have been doubled over laughing. It was just so cliché.

Finally she heard the roar of the engine, and it was music to her ears. Louis put the car in drive right as the first of the horde jumped on the back of the car. Out of instinct, she jumped into the back of Louis' seat as the infected tried to claw their way into the back window. She could have sworn Francis did the same thing.

They watched as the horde of infected were left behind, some still chasing them. They were taking the back roads to keep away from the traffic jam on the highway.

"Okay so where to now? I think this city is pretty fucked up." Louis said as he turned on to another darkened road.

"We could go to Mercy City. It's about hundred miles south of here. They have a big military base there," Zoey said, hoping they would agree with her. Mercy City was where her parent's lived.

"One Hundred miles, kid, we will be lucky if we make it ten miles. There is no way that we can go that far." Zoey looked at the old man, who was looking out the side window.

"There is a back road we could take. Not many people use it and I don't think it would be too crowded right now. We could probably drive non stop the whole way." She would beg and plead if she had to.

"Not a bad idea. If we could get to that military base, they could get us somewhere safe." Francis said beside her. She was on the verge of tears thinking she was this close to getting to her family. Now if the other two would agree to go there.

"What's the real reason you want to go to Mercy City? I'm sure there are military bases closer than that one." Zoey could not look at the old man as he asked her that. She was afraid that if she told them the real reason, they would refuse to go.

"Family?" Louis' soft voice shattered any remaining strength to hold back her tears. They fell down her face as she looked out her window.

"Yeah, I have to get to them, please! You can drop me off at my parent's home and then make for the military base I don't care as long as you get me there." She sobbed.

No one said anything at first. They let her cry silently to herself. She had been through so much and it was finally taking its toll on her. The bad thing was the sun had not even come up.

The old man cleared his throat as he spoke, "where is the back road?'.

Zoey lifted her head and met the gentle eyes of the old man. He understood her reasoning and was okay with it, which was all good and fine with her. "Thank you mister. Just turn down London Road and it will lead you to one way street, then take a left onto Myers Lane and you'll be on it."

"That's not far from here, just a couple of blocks." Francis said.

"Good! The sooner we get out of this damn town, the better." The rest of them agreed with Louis.

"The name's Bill by the way. Haven't had time to introduce myself."

"Nice to meet you Bill, I'm Zoey." She managed a small smile, through her tears, for the man. He smiled back.

They reached Myers Road and sure enough it was empty. Zoey let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She sure did not want to be the one to lead them to their deaths down this road. She had taken this way several times back home because of it's out of the way route.

"How's the gas Louis?" Bill asked.

"We're good. I filled up before stopping at the bar. I live about thirty minutes away, so I didn't want to have to stop late to get gas."

Zoey noticed that Francis was being quiet and looked over to see him staring out the window. There wasn't much to see out there….just blackness. There were no streetlights anywhere. She imagined that the sun should be coming up soon.

Looking at the car's clock, she saw that it was 4:30 A.M… It seemed later than that to her. It had only been four and a half hours since she had left her dorm room.

No one spoke for a while. Everyone was in there own world, thinking about what they had been through. It hit Zoey that these men had lives too, families, friends, lives that had been overthrown just like her own. For a moment she felt selfish that she was asking them to take her to her family. She wondered who they had left behind back in that city.

"Hey." Zoey heard Francis' low voice say. She turned to see him studying her. For a moment neither one spoke.

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Just makin' sure you're alright. It's been a rough night for all of us. I'd say that you're immune to this whole virus thing seeing as you haven't changed."

Zoey had almost forgotten about that. She tried to add up, in her head, how long it had been since Bill shot the infected man and she was covered in his blood. It had to have been at least two hours. Francis was right, she must be immune. For some reason that thought did not make her feel any better.

"Now the question is, are we?"

"That's not something I really want to find out Louis. Let's get to safety so we won't have to worry about that." Bill said sternly.

Francis snorted, "What's wrong Bill, scared of a little action". Bill turned around in his seat to look at the man behind him.

"Son, I've seen more action in my time than I care to remember. Action….killing isn't the problem; it's being one of those things that I don't want to have any part of. If you want to be mister hero we can stop the car right now and let you out."

Zoey watched as Francis started to come undone. "Listen here pops; I've had just about all I can take of your smartass mouth. If you don't stop being such a dick, you won't have to worry about becoming one of those things. I'll make sure you're dead first."

"_Stop it both of you_! We are all in this together now like it or not. You two are going to have to work together if we are ever going to make it to safety. God, we have to worry about insane people trying to kill us, we don't want to have to worry about you two trying to kill each other." Zoey yelled.

It did the job. Bill turned back around and said not another word. Francis stared a whole in the back of Bill's head for a few more seconds and then sighed and returned to staring out the window.Zoey looked into the rearview mirror and saw Louis wink at her. God that's all she needed; two hot heads on her hands.

"So, Zoey are you in college?" Louis asked her. That was a topic that she really did not want to talk about. What could she say, 'I sure am, but I'm flunking all my classes because I don't go to any of them'.

"Um….y…yeah, I'm a freshman, was a freshman." She said stuttering.

That peaked Francis' interest. "Was?" He said quizzically.

"You know, was, as in before the whole end of the world crap." For some reason Zoey felt embarrassed to explain to the strangers, in particular Francis, that she was on the verge of flunking out. That was the craziest thing though. Hell he had probably not even finished high school from the looks of it. She would have to seriously think about that one for a while. Why should she care what this biker boy thought of her? She was deep in thought and didn't hear Francis speaking to her.

"Hello…earth to Zoey!" He said snapping his fingers in her face.

She looked over at him with a lost look. "What?" He gave her a crooked smile that made her stomach do a flip. What the hell? Maybe she was infected and the symptoms were starting to show because there was no way in hell that this man would make her feel anything but repulsed, right? Okay now she was losing it. The stress of the night had finally made her snap. 'Get it together Zoey', she told herself.

"I was asking you what you were doing in a bar this late at night." He said to her with a confused look.

"Oh, um…I was headed home to my parents when I got stuck in a traffic jam and I was running out of gas. There was no way I could make it to a gas station and I saw the lights of the bar on, so I thought I would stop and call for my father to meet me." She winced as she mentioned her father. She stole a glimpse at Francis to see him looking at her with sympathy. This man utterly confused her. One minute he was smarting off and acting like a prick and the next minute he looked like a gentle giant. She wondered which of the two the man known as Francis really was. They looked at each other for a moment until Zoey realized she was staring. She looked away quickly, as did Francis.

"So, um, Bill, were you in the army or something?" She heard Louis ask him.

"Yeah, I served in Vietnam." Zoey watched him ball is hands into fists as if just the mention of it made him physically ache.

"Wow!" Louis exclaimed.

"There wasn't anything wow about it. It was a lot of killing and watching your brothers get killed." Bill said darkly.

Nothing was said after that. What could you say to something like that?

Zoey tried to get in a comfortable position, but seeing as Francis took up the majority of the room, that was a hard task to accomplish. She finally let at a huff and rested her head on the back of the seat.

"Sorry." She heard Francis say.

Looking over at him, she noticed he was beet red. She was even more confused by this brute of a man. He wouldn't look her in the eyes as he spoke. "Sorry…I, um, I'm taking up your room. If you want to use my shoulder to rest your head on, to make you more comfortable you can." He cleared his throat as if it were dry.

"Give me a break." She heard Bill mumble.

"You got something to say old man?" Francis said angrily.

Oh great, not them two at it again. "Hey let's see if something is on the radio. There might be something new about the virus." Louis spoke up as he turned the radio on.

"_All major cities have been affected by the virus. Everywhere there is panic and people taking action into their own hands. We strongly suggest that you refrain from trying to fight these people. We don't know exactly what is going on with them, but we do know that their symptoms are closely related to that of rabies. We have reports that it has spread to Europe and the number of casualties here in the U. S. and abroad are numerous. We can assure you that the proper officials are doing everything they can to stop this virus and bring law and order back to the people. If you come across anyone infected, you are strongly advised to seek safety immediately."_

Zoey blocked the radio station out. She had heard and seen enough to know that there would be no law and order anymore. Whatever had happened was bigger than the U.S. and no form of government could control what was happening. Looking out into the darkness of the night, she felt empty. She felt a heaviness fall upon her as the weight of the situation sunk in. It wasn't just a localized virus anymore. It had spread well beyond what she imagined. The last thing that floated through her mind, before the darkness took over, was the laughter of her little brother.


	6. Home Sweet Home

**A/N: So I was thinking that maybe some of you might think that Francis is out of character being so nice to Zoey….well in my little world, he is still a rough neck, but he feel's protective of her, as do the rest of the guys, I mean come on she is the only girl! But don't fear he is still the bad ass Francis that we all know and love, but Valve does describe him as someone that will have your back…..so, that is how I am writing him. If you need a disclaimer, look in the other chapters because frankly it depresses me to be reminded that I can't own these characters because they rock!**

**OclairbearO****: You'd better get that cough checked out! And as for that tongue, I don't french kiss on the first day…ha-ha!! Thanks for the review, and I'm happy you are enjoying the story!**

**Stormic09****: Awww, thank you for that flattering remark! It makes me want to write the whole damn thing in one sitting! But I want to be true to the story and not rush it! It will get darker so the harder chapters for me to write are still to come!! Keep on with your wonderful comments, because they help me to stay focused! **

**Home Sweet Home**

"Zoey…Zoey can you hear me."

"Mom, where are you? I can't see you."

Zoey stormed through the front door, of her parent's house, with the guys behind her. She was frantically searching around for her parents and brother. The house was a mess, which was strange seeing as her mother was a clean freak. The glass coffee table had been shattered and the furniture had been ripped to shreds.

There was movement above them and Zoey bolted for the stairs. She felt a hand grab her from behind and looked to see Francis holding her back.

"Zoey, don't be stupid. You have no idea what's up there."

"Francis let me go. I know exactly what's up there. My parents and brother they need me." She fought to get free from his grip but it was no use. She felt like an animal trapped in a cage. Why was he doing this to her?

"Zoey…" Everyone turned there heads upwards to where her name had been called, as if they could see through the ceiling. That was her brother's voice, and Zoey could not help the tears that started again. Her family was alive and they were calling to her.

"Francis, please let me go to them. They are alright, don't you hear them calling for me." He looked at her, still uncertain and finally released her. She ran up the stairs two at a time, not caring if the guys were coming with her or not. She had finally made it to her family.

Coming into the hall she passed all the family pictures. School plays, baseball, summer days, winter nights, all the pictures represented a time in her life that was so much simpler than now.

She reached Jamie's door but before she could go in, there was a scratching noise behind her. Slowly turning around, Zoey found herself face to face with the hooded figure from the T.V. at the bar. She was frozen. How did he get to her parents house so fast?

She did not have time to figure those questions out before the hooded figure launched at her. The force of him hitting her dead on knocked her back into Jamie's door and through it. She could hear Francis, Louis, and Bill yelling for her downstairs, but they were not trying to come and save her.

The hooded figure just sat there on top of her pinning her down. Zoey could tell that there were two other people in the room with them. Looking to her left she saw her parents standing there watching. There eyes, as black as night, bore in to her.

"Mom? Dad?" She whispered frantically.

"You failed us Zoey. You disappointed us. Now we will show you what it's like to suffer."

Zoey watched helplessly as her parents walked towards her. She looked back at the hooded figure only to realize too late that it was Jamie.

"_AHHHHHHHHHH!" _

"Zoey…. Zoey, wake up…damn it! Francis yelled as he shook the unconscious girl. Even in her sleep, she was fighting him. "Fuck, come on Zoey snap out of it!"

Zoey came too with a start, jumping back as far as she could only to be stopped by the car door. She stared at the man in front of her. For a moment he was the hooded figure in her dreams, until slowly the fog of her mind started to clear away. The first thing that she noticed was that it was daylight. She looked out at the deserted road, passing by at a great speed, trying to collect herself. It had been a dream. Zoey closed her eyes for a minute trying to control her breathing and speeding heart. It had all been just one big nightmare. Her parents and brother were still okay. She heard Francis take a deep breath and looked back at him.

"Are you alright?" She heard Louis ask from the driver's seat.

"No." She whispered.

"You'd better be. Once we get back into town, we are gonna run in to some of those things, and if you don't have a clear head about yourself, you're gonna get us all killed." She looked at Bill as he lit a cigarette, flinching at his harsh tone.

"Real smooth ass whole!" Francis said bitterly.

"What? You think I'm gonna sugar coat it for the girl because she had a bad dream? Son, I've been having bad dreams most of my adult life. There's a war out there and if we are to survive it's got to be all of us in it together. I don't know about y'all but I'm not ready to die. So yeah I'm gonna be harsh and tell her like it is because it means my….our survival."

"He's right." Everyone turned to look at Zoey as she spoke softly. "I can do this Bill. I'm tougher than you think."

Bill nodded once at her and then turned to finish his cigarette. Today was going to be the longest day of their lives.

A half hour after her nightmare, Zoey looked ahead at the welcome sign of Mercy City. She never thought she would be as happy to see the colorful name of her hometown as she did right now. Zoey had wanted to get out of this town for as long as she could remember. Now her only thought was how happy she was to be back.

"We're here." She stated.

Driving past the sign, the site that met them was one of devastating destruction. This did not look like a town in the United States; more like a third world country. There were fires all around them, even some of the smaller building had crumbled to the ground.

"Fuck me!" Francis whispered beside her.

Louis slowed the car down to maneuver through the traffic that had built up. It wasn't as bad as the traffic jam that she got stuck in, but it was bad enough to slow down their progress. Most of the cars they passed were abandoned, just sitting their undisturbed. Some held in it the corps of some poor soul who did not look human.

Zoey looked away. She was afraid that she would recognize the dead if she looked hard enough. A part of her was afraid she would recognize her parents.

"Look there…a gun shop. We could stop and get some firearms." Francis said pointing to the little shop up ahead that surprisingly remained standing. The windows to the front of it had been knocked out but other than that it looked okay.

"Good idea. Louis, see if you could get us as close as possible, just in case some of the infected are close by." Bill said.

Louis drove on towards the gun shop trying to get as close as he could. Driving up on the sidewalk, he reversed the car back to where all Bill and Francis had to do was open their doors and step into the broken window.

Zoey walked into the abandoned gun shop to see that it was a mess. Every piece of glass had been broken out. Some of the guns were missing but overall there was still a good bit of supplies left. The guys wondered around looking at the different weapons like kids in a candy store. Zoey couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

She looked down into the broken case, behind the cash register, to see two silver hand gun pistols. Reaching in to grab them, she held them up. Had it really come to this? Was she really going to have to shoot people? That thought made her feel sick to her stomach. Zoey wasn't really sure she could do it.

Looking back at the guys each one had picked up a gun. Both Bill and Louis were holding an M-16 turning it over to inspect the powerful killing machine. Francis had found him a shotgun, smiling as he pointed it to the wall to see if the aim was good.

"No fuckin way, a pipe bomb!" Francis said excitedly as he walked over to the far wall. "Everyone needs to grab one of these. It will fuck those infected up!" He started handing out a pipe bomb to Bill and Louis. "You too Zoey." He said smiling at her. Was he enjoying this? She slowly walked towards Francis and reached to grab the bomb.

"I don't even know how to use one of these." She said holding up the bomb. "This either." She said pointing to the pistol.

"Well there's no better time than the present, come on." Francis said pulling her to a side room that she had missed coming in.

Opening the door, Zoey noticed that it was a practice range. They stepped in and Francis felt for the light switch on the wall. The lights blinked a few times and then came on.

There was a scream to their left and both Francis and Zoey whipped around to see what was making that noise. Charging towards them at full speed was an infected. Blood was running down its mouth onto its white shirt.

Zoey tried to let out a scream but the air was knocked out of her as Francis pushed her against the wall to get her out of the way of the infected.

The thing tackled Francis, bringing him down to the ground. Zoey heard the wind being knocked out of Francis as the infected fell on top of him.

Louis and Bill ran to the door to see Francis wrestling with an infected. "A….little…help…might…be…useful….ass….holes…_SHIT_. Francis yelled, snapping the two men out of their shock.

Louis ran up to the infected, knocking him off of Francis. It staggered back towards where Zoey and Francis had startled it.

After getting its footing it turned to charge again with a piercing scream. Shot's rang out from beside Zoey as she watched the infected being pounded with bullets. Looking over, she saw both Louis and Bill using their new guns.

Finally the thing hit the floor with a thud.

There was a short silence before Francis spoke up. "Next time take your fuckin time coming to help alright."

Bill just rolled his eyes and went back into the rooms to study the guns some more.

Both Louis and Francis reached to help Zoey up.

"Are you alright?" They said at the same time. "Yeah just…." She finished the sentence with a gasp.

Grabbing Francis' arm she saw the blood first, then the teeth marks. "You've been bitten." She whispered.

Looking into her eyes he spoke softly, "Guess it's my turn to find out if I'm immune huh?"

Before she could respond to that there was an earsplitting scream off in the distance. Everyone turned to look out the broken glass window. Running towards them were some fifty infected people.

"_LET'S GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" _Bill screamed.

"Bill we have to get some ammo." Louis said running up to him.

"I got enough….we gotta go now damn it."

They ran for the car, thanking God that they had parked this close.

Zoey felt herself being shoved in by Francis as he made it just in time before Louis put the car in drive.

Looking back, the horde of infected tried to run the car down. They looked as though they wanted to tear it from top to bottom. Zoey let out a shiver and turned to look at Francis. He was pale as he watched the infected.

"Let me see your arm." She said holding her hand out.

Francis looked at her for a moment and then gave her his arm.

"Louis, do you have any tissue or napkins in this car?"

He told Bill to look in the glove compartment. Bill did so, and passed Zoey the kleenex box. She took some tissue and started to clean the wound.

"It's not too deep so that's good. When we get to my parent's house I can clean it with some peroxide. You should be fine." Zoey said not looking him in the eyes.

He had been bitten. Now it was just a matter of time before he would turn, or he would find out he was stuck in this hell as an immune like her.

"Well Bill, this might be your lucky day. You might get to kill me after all." Francis said without humor.

Zoey looked away from him. She knew what kind of emotions he was going through right now. Just hours earlier, she had been going through the same thing.

Looking out her window she noticed the familiar area of her neighborhood. "Louis, slow down." She said.

He looked in his review mirror at her as if she were crazy. "What?" He asked.

"This is my neighborhood. We are almost there." She stated. "Take a left right here." Louis did as she told him to do, bringing them to a dead end street.

"Right there", she whispered, pointing to a two story brick house at the end of the street.

Zoey felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she noticed the garage door was broken down and that her parent's vehicles were still where they had usually parked them.

"Oh God no!." She whispered as Louis pulled into her parent's driveway.


	7. Not Alone

_**A/N: Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter. Not much in author's notes on this one, it's gonna be a hard one for me to write, but I'm gonna give it my best. I played versus mode today and destroyed the other team, so if you played today and got smoked it could have been by me!!! **__**J You know the drill by now…disclaimer is in the other chapters. **_

_**OclairbearO: I know, the tension is killing me as well. I have no clue what's gonna happen. Our favorite survivors are writing this for me as we go! **_

_**Stormic09: Yeah I know! Francis told me that if I didn't stop making him such a pansy and get him a shotgun, he wouldn't play nice with Zoey…..soooo, I gave him a shotgun! Ha**_

_**Itchirocks31: I have some evil stuff in store for our heroes unfortunately! But they should know by now that their lives can't be that simple…..bwaaahahahaha!!!! **_

_**Not Alone**_

_Zoey didn't move as the guys got out of the car. She stared at the destroyed garage door, her eyes wide with terror. The windows to her parent's cars were busted out. Jamie's bicycle, that he loved so much, sat on the ground in a twisted heap of plastic. The house itself looked to be in good shape. _

_Zoey started to feel the hope she had for her parents and Jamie slowly wash away with the tears that streamed down her face. This was all a nightmare. None of it was real. She would soon wake up in her bed, at the dorm, and laugh at her stupid horror movie mind. She could just hear Jamie making fun of her when she told him of the dream. This really wasn't happening._

"_Zoey you can do this. We need to get inside fast." She turned her shocked eyes onto Francis' face. He held the door open for her to get out, but she didn't think she had the strength. _

"_I'll carry you if I have to. We gotta get going now Zoey, come on." He said looking around to see if anyone was approaching. _

_Finally Zoey put her legs out of the car and stood up. Francis had to catch her before she crumbled to the hard concrete. He stood her upright again and grabbed an arm to lead her in. Louis got on the other side grabbing the other arm and they proceeded to the front door. _

_Chunks of mahogany and glass lay on the front steps to this beautiful home that Zoey grew up in. The door that her mother always prided herself in picking out was no more. _

_Bill was the first to enter; his gun aimed and ready to fire. This snapped Zoey out of her comatose state. These men did not know her or her parents. She wasn't so sure that they wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later._

_Breaking away from the hold that Francis and Louis had on her, she ran towards Bill. _

_Passing Bill, she headed into the living room. She expected it to look like it did in her dream, but the coffee table and furniture were intact. Looking around her, nothing was disturbed. It just seemed like her parents had left, which she prayed they had. _

_She slowly turned and walked towards the kitchen. The guys were watching her every move as if expecting her to have a melt down. _

_Entering the spacious kitchen, with its hunter green painted walls, it looked immaculate as usual. Slowly she walked over to the stainless steel refrigerator to see the picture her mother had taken of her and Jamie last summer. They had their arms wrapped around each other laughing uncontrollably. Zoey smiled at the memory of that picture. She silently prayed again that her parents had gotten out in time. _

_Turning around she walked back out towards the stairs. She expected Francis to stop her, like in her dream, but he didn't. She started to slowly climb up to the second floor. She could hear the guys behind her coming as well. How many times had her and Jamie slid down this banister, she thought as she glided her hands along the wooden surface. How many times had her parents yelled at them from the living room as they bent over in laughter? _

_She reached the top step turning to her right to look down the hallway. There was nothing there. No hooded figure or some evil thing ready to jump out at her. Taking a deep breath, she started down the hall. _

_The bathroom door was to her left and she quickly turned the light on. Nothing there but what was suppose to be. _

_Continuing her search she came to her room next. Slowly walking in, she looked around at the all too familiar room. Posters and pictures from high school were still hanging where she had left them. Her collection of horror films was stacked neatly under her T.V… She walked towards the closet to open it when a hand reached out to stop her. She looked to Bill who was shaking his head no. What was he expecting to find through that door? _

_She turned and made her way back into the hall. The men gave her room to move around them. None of them offered to check the rooms before her. In a way she thought that they understood she needed to do this. _

_Coming to Jamie's room, Zoey walked in to her little brother's world. She walked to his bed and noticed his baseball cap sitting there. Picking it up, Zoey held it close to her. She could still smell her brother on it. She stood there for a couple of minutes just holding his hat. It dawned on her that she had not seen him pitch a game this year. She could always tell that he was disappointed in that but never said anything to her. _

_Coming back to the present, Zoey turned and made her way back out. Straight ahead of her was her parent's room. The door to their room was closed and she could hear a moaning sound coming from inside. She started to back up down the hall, when she felt hands on her shoulders stopping her. _

"_We can go in Zoey. You don't have to do it." She heard Francis say behind her. She couldn't think. That moaning was definitely not human. If it was her parents or Jamie making that noise, could she kill them? She did not think she could, but could she let Francis, Louis or Bill do it? _

"_I can't." She whispered._

_Francis squeezed her shoulders and walked around her to the door. She watched as he readied his shotgun and reached for the door knob. It all happened so fast that it didn't register at first. It took her a moment to realize that Francis, Louis and Bill had disappeared behind her parent's door. _

_A howl came from the room followed by the sound of a shotgun blast. She was frozen, wide eyed. Had they just killed her family? _

"_Louis are you okay?" She heard Bill ask. _

"_Yeah I'm good."_

"_Oh damn!" Francis said softly, yet it was loud enough for Zoey to hear him. _

_She took two steps towards her parent's room when Francis emerged. He stopped just a little in front of her. He put his hands on his hips and hung his head. _

"_Francis?" Zoey whispered._

"_Zoey…um, y….you should just….go…go back downstairs ok." He said._

_Zoey realized why he wouldn't make eye contact with her. Her family, her whole life was in that room. _

_She took a couple of steps back before collapsing to her knees. She was blinded by the tears that filled her eyes as she shook her head back and forth. _

"_Zoey…" Francis started but was cut off by Zoey jumping to her feet and pounding her fists into his chest._

"_LIAR! YOU LIAR! THEY ARE FINE! OH GOD NOOOOOO!"_ She screamed in agony.

Francis stood there letting her pound her fist into him. He tried to wrap his arms around her but she pushed him away and headed for her parents room. Bill came out and stood in her path.

"Zoey, you ought to listen to Francis and go downstairs ok. There is nothing you can do for them Hun. They're…..they're gone." Bill said slowly.

Zoey collapsed in front of Bill. She was on her hands and knees sobbing at the floor. Her mother, with her shining smile and chestnut wavy hair…gone. Her father, the leader, stern yet gentle when he needed to be. And Jamie, oh God, her Jamie was gone. She would never get to hear him laugh or see him smile, like only he does, at her.

"Please Bill….let me see them." she begged.

"Sweetie, you don't want to see what's in there." Louis said coming to kneel beside her.

"I don't care," she sobbed. "That is my family in there."

Looking up at her three companions, she could see the reluctance in their eyes.

"Give us a minute and you can go in okay, just a few more minutes." Francis said as he started to walk back in the room. "Bill, Louis I need your help please." He called.

She sobbed openly as she heard the men grunting and moving things. After a few minutes Francis came and helped her to her feet. He half carried her into her parent's room. She couldn't look at first. Instead she looked at the maroon carpet of her parent's bedroom. She could see a darker color splashed all over the floor closest to the bed. 'Blood', she thought.

Raising her head slowly, she looked at the hunter green color of her parent's comforter and then to the three bodies covered on the bed. She slowly walked over to the sheet covering her family and stopped just short of the bed.

Reaching her hand out, she slowly pulled the covers down to reveal three faces that meant everything to her. She felt Francis' hold on her tighten as she looked down at their mauled faces.

"I'm so sorry I failed you." She said sobbing. "I'm so sorry."

She tore herself from Francis' grip and crumbled to the floor beside her dead families bodies. Reaching up she removed a piece of her mother's hair from her face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Louis walk out. She could have sworn that the grown man was crying, but she wasn't sure. Bill stood on the opposite side of the bed staring out the window. Francis was behind her ready to grab her if he needed to. They had come all this way for nothing. Getting to her parents had been in vain, why even bother anymore. She had no reason to go on.

Looking at her father and mother, she noticed how black their eyes had become. Had they become one of those monsters before the end? Looking at Jamie, she realized that his eyes were as blue as they ever were. Could it have been possible that her Jamie had to kill their parents? Had they tried to attack him? Had they succeeded? She sobbed harder at that thought.

"Zoey, they were already dead when I came in. There…there was another one in here with them." Francis said as if he could read her mind.

"Where?" She asked through her tears.

Francis pointed at the bathroom and she could see the monster's foot sticking out of the door.

Zoey pulled herself up to her feet and walked slowly to the bathroom. There lying in a pool of its own blood was the thing that took her life away from her.

Zoey reached into the back of her pants and pulled out the silver hand gun. Pointing it at the thing, she pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times unloading her gun on the already dead creature. She felt someone come up behind her and stop her, wrapping there enormous arms around her.

"Stop it Zoey. It's dead; don't waste your bullets on that thing." She heard Francis say close to her ear.

He didn't get it. She didn't care about how many bullets she had left, she wanted only to make something suffer as much as she was suffering.

She tried to pull out of his grasp and he let her go.

She staggered back towards her parent's dresser. Looking into the mirror, she did not recognize the girl staring back at her. Looking on the top of the dresser, she noticed a note in her mother's handwriting.

Picking it up, she read it to herself…

_Dear Zoey, _

_If you get this letter then that means the unthinkable as happened. I don't really know what is going on, but what I do know is that our neighbors have been screaming for the past hour. Jamie and I have locked ourselves in this room and hopefully help will be on its way. We can hear screams and moans downstairs and they are slowly making their way up here. Zoey, I pray that you are safe and unharmed. I wish I could hold you in my arms one last time and tell you that I love you. No matter what, just remember that there has not been a time that your father and I haven't been proud of you. You are a strong woman, Zoey, and don't you dare let our deaths keep you from going on. You give up now and that would disappoint your father and me. The last of the news, before it went off the air, said for people to go to Mercy Hospital. Zoey go there now my love. You get to safety and you survive! I love you so much my daughter. Remember Mercy Hospital._

_I will always love you Zoey, _

_Mom_

_P.S. Zoey, these things seem to not be able to get into metal doors. The storm cellar door, in the basement, is made of metal if you need to go there and rest. Your father went down there to stock up and hasn't been back since they stormed into the house. Jamie says he loves you and will talk to you soon. _

Zoey read the letter more than once.

Her father must have made it back up here, which answered her fears about her brother having to kill her parents. As if a movie was playing in her head, she saw how it must have happened. Her mother and brother huddled in the corner as her father broke the door to get in. Her mother would have tried to reason with him, standing in front of Jamie to protect him. There was no reasoning with these things though. Her father must have charged at her mother and killed her instantly.

Zoey searched the floor beside the bed and sure enough was her father's gun that he left under his pillow.

She watched, in her mind, as Jamie lifted the gun at his father, begging him to stop. Her father probably walked towards Jamie as he pulled the trigger shooting his father. She could hear her brother's terrified sobs as his father continued to come closer until that fatal shot to the head dropped his dad in his tracks.

She would have given anything to have been able to hold him.

He was probably caught off guard when his mother stood up and charged, but he kept a clear head about him and finished her off. That thing in the bathroom must have surprised him and ended his life.

She looked back at her brother's still blue eyes and it dawned on her that he must have been immune too. If she would have only been a few hours earlier, he might still be alive.

"Zoey, I'm sorry Hun but we have to get going. They are starting to crowd around outside." Bill said from his perch at the window.

"Go on. I'm not leaving." She said low.

"Bullshit! We aren't leaving you. We aren't leaving her Bill." Francis said pointing at the old man.

"Zoey, I understand that you are going through some pain right now. I know how you feel okay, but you can't stay here. You really think that's what they wanted?"

She knew that that's not what they wanted, she had the proof in her hands but she couldn't leave them. Not like this. Looking from Bill to Francis she saw how much they needed her. Four people are better than three. Even if that forth person was a little fucked up right now. She let out a sigh and wiped the tears away. There would be a time for crying and right now was not it. She would survive because that is what they would have wanted for her. Looking at her family one more time, she turned and walked back out into the hallway.

Louis turned around when he heard her walk out. He gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her shoulder. Francis and Bill followed her out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"Ok, where to now?" Francis said. He had come to stand beside Zoey, putting his hand on the small of her back. Looking up at him, she whispered a thank you.

Before anyone could answer, there was a loud scream that was becoming all too familiar to them.

Everyone was to the stairs in a second, running down them to get to the car.

As they reached the broken door, they were greeted with the same scene from the gun store. Fifty or more infected were making there way, as fast as they could, to the four helpless souls trapped inside the house.

"Holy hell….now what?" Louis said.

"The basement, there's a storm cellar that they can't break through, this way." Zoey said as she started running towards the door of the basement.

Yanking the door open she walked down the steps only to be met face to face with five infected. She tried to stop her momentum from going further, but Francis' heavy body pushed her right into the arms of an infected.

Zoey's scream was drowned out by the screams from every direction. They were surrounded. Louis and Bill tried in vain to hold off the horde trying to run down the stairs.

She felt herself being pulled away from Francis by two of the infected. They had both of her arms in a tug of war grip. She felt at any moment her arms would snap away from her body.

"_FRANCIS!" _She yelled as loud as she could.

She felt one of the infected let go of her arm as the butt of Francis' shotgun met its face. He raised the gun and blew the other infected, holding Zoey, in the head. It's head exploded like the man in the bar.

Zoey fell to the ground only to feel her being lifted up from behind.

Francis stood her back on her feet just in time to shoot an infected running at them.

Zoey reached into her back and pulled out the two pistols and started firing. She missed the first couple of times but finally met her mark with the thing that was trying to pull her a part.

Francis grabbed her and started pushing his way towards the cellar door using his gun and his shear strength. Their way had been cleared long enough for Zoey to grab the handle of the door and push it open.

She turned around to see Louis and Bill shooting and running backwards. Francis was standing in the doorway trying to help them fend off the horde steadily making their way down the stairs. Zoey felt helpless standing there, so she ran and stood beside Francis, aiming her gun and praying to God she wouldn't shoot Bill or Louis.

Two, three, four infected fell dead at her hands and she felt a rush like she had never felt before. She was shooting for her family, dead, upstairs. She was shooting for her comrades that were now her new family. She was shooting for the fucker who started this whole shit in the first place. The feeling of release was hers to be had and have it she would.

Something jumped to her left and the weight of its body knocked her back on her ass. She heard Francis yelling and looked up to see the hooded figure from the T.V. and her nightmares pinning him down. He bore into Francis with his knife-like nails as he tried to fight back but couldn't do anything but try to protect himself.

"_ZOEY HELP ME!" _

Francis' scream brought Zoey to her feet as she charged at the hooded figure knocking him off Francis.

Raising her pistols, she started shooting at the thing, but the fucker was too fast. It landed on its feet and started to charge back at them, headed straight for her this time. She continued to shoot it but it kept coming until it got within inches of her and then there was a loud blast from Francis' shotgun and the hooded figure went sailing out of the room.

"_GRENADE!" _She heard Bill say before he and Louis pushed their way through the door, closing it just in time for the pipe bomb to send the horde into oblivion.

Everyone sat on the floor breathing heavily for a few minutes until Francis' sat up groaning.

"God I hate zombies." He said grumbling.

"You're not alone." Zoey, Louis and Bill spoke in unison.

**Damn that was a hard chapter for me to write. I didn't really want to go overboard with angst but how do you describe someone finding out that their family is dead. Well I hope I did it justice! Francis told me at the last minute that I had better throw some action in ther****e****…well there ya go…ha-ha…………….you know what t****o do….review people review!!!!!! **


	8. Getting To Know You

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back for more. I had a hard day at work, but it gave me time to see where this story is going. We have a longgggg way to go with this story. I'm so excited with such great response from the last chapter. I really struggled with it, and reading how much you all loved it made me so happy! I wasn't sure how you would take it, but you didn't disappoint me, so thank you so much!! On with the show!!!!**

**Itachirocks31: Yeah I hated doing that to poor Zoey, but her parents and brother surviving just wouldn't have fit into my story, so they had to go bye-bye. Thank you for your review!**

**Striker1246: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! (Does happy dance) I just love Zoey. I think she is a strong woman to be able to hang with the guys! I know I've made her more of a weakling but she is about to come into her own. You will see a woman who knows how to handle horrible things! As for the grammar and spelling mistakes I realized that the grammar/spelling button worked better if turned on…lmao!!! That is why it has improved! Thanks for your review and keep them coming.**

**spedclass: Thanks for your compliment! I'm glad you are enjoying the story! Here's your update.**

**Stormic09: Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you!! The funny thing is I wasn't even going to put any action in the chapter. I was going to make it all about the emotional aspect of Zoey finding her family dead, but Francis, yes people the survivors do talk to me….ha-ha, insisted that I do. I couldn't get that action scene out of my head so I thought the hell with it!! Glad you are enjoying it!**

**OclairbearO: I jump for joy with you….He-he!! I'm so glad that you are fooking (that is the first time I have heard that word….awesome word by the way) loving it!! I hope you continue to love it! Thanks for your review!**

**AspiringAuthor00: Thank you so much for taking the time to review. I'm glad you are liking the story. When I don't listen to Zoey, Bill, Francis or Louis they give me headaches so I have given power of this story over to them….lol!! They will be the death of me!**

**Getting To Know You**

Zoey stood in the middle of the storm cellar looking around her. She had not been down here in years. She had always wondered why her father had built it seeing as they never had bad weather in Mercy City. At that moment she was thankful that it was here. It had just saved them from certain death.

Looking around the room, she noticed that it had been well stocked. It wasn't a big room by any means, but it was just big enough for the four of them.

There were wooden shelves built on the far wall supplied with canned foods from top to bottom. Four sleeping bags were pushed against the wall to her left. She noticed several med kits and flashlights to her right. There was even a tiny bathroom with a shower that her father had just finished building not too long ago. She felt pride swell within her at the thought of how her father had just given them all the supplies they needed to make it to safety, and he didn't even realize it.

Raising her head she looked towards the ceiling. Her family was taken from her. The laid lifeless above her where she had left them. For a moment she let herself think that they were better off. They would have never wanted to be a monster.

Closing her eyes, she said a prayer for their souls and slowly turned towards her comrades. They would become her lifeline now, because they were all that she had left. She didn't know them at all, but maybe she had time to get to know them. They had all made it this far together, and maybe they could make it all the way.

She watched Louis as he sat on the floor, with his head lay low, trying to catch his breath. It had been a close call for them but by luck they had made it to safety, for the time being.

She turned from Louis to Bill as he lit another cigarette. He took a long slow drag and held it in his mouth for a moment before releasing it. She noticed that he had a scratch on his left cheek. It didn't look that deep but she was sure it hurt like hell.

Then there was Francis. He was still lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling fast with his breathing. She noticed, behind his vest, that his white shirt had blood on the sides and she realized that he was hurt.

She picked up one of the med kits and made her way over to the bathroom. She hoped there were clean towels as she opened the bathroom cabinets and there was a stack of white towels and washcloths.

"Francis, are you able to stand up and walk to the bathroom?" She called out.

"Not unless you have some painkillers in there." He groaned.

"I don't have any painkillers, but I do have other things to help patch you up, come on."

She heard his groans as he got to his feet. He staggered into the bathroom and she had to help him to sit on the toilet.

"Take your vest and shirt off for me. Let me see the damage." She watched as his face turned from painful to a crooked smile.

"This isn't exactly how I fantasized us getting to know each other, but your wish is my command darlin." He said in a playful voice.

Before she could stop herself, Zoey was bubbling with laughter. She had not laughed that way in a long time, even before the end of the world as she knew it. She was afraid that she had offended Francis with her outburst, but she could hear him laughing along with her.

"That's better." He said smiling at her.

"Thank you Francis. I really needed that." She said once she got control of herself.

"Anytime."

He slowly removed his vest and lifted his shirt over his shoulders grimacing with each move. It took a moment for Zoey to remember why they were in the bathroom. She knew that Francis was a big guy, but what greeted her was a chest that only a god could have. With every move that he made, she could see the chiseled muscles of his arms and the best looking six pack she had ever laid eyes on. His broad shoulders were just calling for her to grab them and…..

"Zoey?"

She jumped at the sound of her name looking around at anything but Francis.

"Hey, if this is too uncomfortable for you, you can ask Bill….no wait never mind, ask Louis to come in here and help me."

She was confused. Did he really take her reaction as her being uncomfortable? Wow she was really losing her touch.

"No I'm fine." She mumbled.

Looking into the med pack, the only thing she found was rubbing alcohol and some 4x4 gauze pads. 'You have got to be kidding me. This is gonna get ugly,' she thought.

She turned to see Francis looking at her in apprehension.

"Ok Francis do you want the good news or the bad news first?

"God, do I even want to know?"

"Well the good news is that there are some things in here to clean and heal your cuts. The bad news is it's going to hurt like hell."

"Well ain't that some fucking shit." He said as only Francis could.

Zoey gave him an apologetic look and held the rubbing alcohol up for him to see.

Francis rolled his eyes and motion for her to proceed.

She grabbed a towel from the cabinet dabbing the alcohol on it. Taking a deep breath and looking to make sure Francis was ready, she stuck the towel onto his wounded chest.

"_DAMNITMOTHERFUCKINBITCHASSFUCK!" _

Zoey jumped back, startled by Francis' scream. He had his eyes squeezed shut gritting his teeth. His hands were balled in fists banging against the side of the wall.

"_Suck it up pansy!" _Bill yelled from the other room.

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP ASSHOLE! THIS SHIT HURTS!" _Francis yelled back.

Zoey had to keep from laughing for fear of being beat to death by Francis. He was clearly in a lot of pain but still had the strength to yell at Bill.

"Zoey forget that fucking alcohol and just put the damn gauze on me."

"Francis I need to clean the wounds otherwise they might get infected." She tried to reason with him.

The look he gave her made her swallow hard.

"Zoey if you touch me with that shit again I swear I won't be responsible for my actions."

Hesitating a moment, her voice cracking , "Gauze it is then."

She sat the alcohol down and grabbed the white 4x4s and went to work on covering as much of the wounds as she could.

After she was done, she stood back to stare at her work. She wasn't a doctor by any means but she thought that she did a pretty good job.

"That's as good as we are going to get it Francis. Sorry….about…about the alcohol." Zoey said softly.

The hard lines on Francis' face soften a bit as he looked at her.

"No sweat Zoey. I didn't mean to lose my temper with you but that shit really did hurt." He said with a laugh.

"And thanks for….you know, saving me back there and all."

"You're welcome Zoey. You returned the favor remember?"

They stared at each other again for a moment before Bill disturbed their connection.

"I gotta piss. Are y'all done yet?" He griped.

Francis rolled his eyes while Zoey smiled and put the supplies back in the kit.

"Just finishing up Bill we'll be out of your way shortly." She said gathering the med pack into her hands.

Taking one more look at Francis she turned and walked past a very perturbed old man. If she would have been paying more attention, she would have noticed how the two men were staring daggers into one another.

Zoey walked back out into the main room of the storm cellar and placed the med pack back where she found it. She suddenly realized how quite it was outside of the door. It sounded as though there was no one out there, which she thought was a very good sign.

"How are you holding up Zoey?" Louis said from in front of the storm cellar door. He was still looking at her with sympathy. The heaviness that she felt, before helping Francis, came down upon her again.

"I'm trying here. That's all I can say right now. I really haven't had time to fully grasp that they are gone. Now….now is not the time."

"You're a strong woman Zoey. I hope you know that." She smiled at the kind hearted man in front of her. She felt that if she would have met Louis in a time when things were normal, they would have been great friends.

She could hear Francis behind them searching the canned food for something to eat. She realized that she had not eaten since yesterday morning and in response her stomach started growling.

Walking over to join him, she grabbed the first thing she saw, which was a can of chicken noodle soup. This would have to do for now. It wasn't meat and potatoes but at least it was something. Francis took it from her and started to open it with the can opener. He handed it back and she dug in, grabbing a bottle of water to wash it down.

She walked a couple of steps and sat cross-legged beside the sleeping bags.

After a while, Bill and Louis joined them with their own canned meal eating in silence.

Zoey finished before anyone else and stood up to take a shower. She could already feel the hot water as it scaled down her body washing her clean of the dirt and sweat.

Stripping off her clothing, Zoey reached to turn the water on smiling as she felt the hot water on her hands.

She stepped into the shower and just stood there letting the water splash on her face. She thought that she had never felt anything as wonderful as she did right now. She turned around and rested her forehead on the cool surface of the shower wall, enjoying the contrast of the hot water and cool wall. Slowly she slid her way down to the floor curling up into a ball.

She didn't know exactly when she actually started crying.

The crying turned into shaking sobs, as she let the water wash her salty tears down the drain. This was her final time to cry for her dead family and the injustice of what this world had become. She could feel her will to survive push itself to the forefront. No more crying for the things that had happened to her because she knew none of these things outside their safe haven were crying for her. She knew that, if they had their chance, they would rip her from limb to limb.

"Kill or be killed." She whispered.

Zoey laid there until the final tear dropped from her eyes. Standing slowly she let the now lukewarm water wash over her one more time before turning it off and slipping out.

Grabbing a rubber band, Zoey pulled her hair wet hair back into a tight pony tail. She checked her appearance in the mirror and noticed her swollen red eyes. There was no way to hide it from the others so she turned and made her way back out.

The guys were standing in a circle discussing something in low voices when she walked up to them. They all turned and looked at her. She could tell that they saw that she had been crying.

"I'm fine now guys. No more tears." She said.

They shook their heads in understanding as Bill walked up to her reaching his gun towards her. She looked at him confused wondering why he was giving her the M-16.

"Zoey during the attack Louis and I were bitten." She looked at Bill wide eyed as what he said sunk in. She had not noticed the drying blood on his arm and on Louis' leg until now. No not them too.

"We have decided that it would be safer, for you, if you took the guns. We are going to rest here for the day but just in case…"

He looked away form her without finishing the sentence.

"We want you to stand beside the door while we go to the far corner here just in case you need to get away from one of us."

She had seen and been dealt a lot today, but this was icing on the cake. The only people she had left were now the most dangerous people to her.

"But Francis, it's been a while since he was bitten. He's just fine." She said pointing to him.

"It hasn't been enough time to safely say that Zoey. Four or five hours from now, yeah, but right now I could still turn at any moment."

She knew Francis was right but the thought of being the only one left was not something she was ready to accept.

She felt the gun being put in her hands and looked down to see the killing machine.

"If you have to Zoey, you know you could do it. If it meant living or dieing you would the strength to pull that trigger and kill any of us." Bill said softly.

She watched the guys turn and walk as far away from her as they could get.

Francis stopped and bent down to grab one of the sleeping bags turning to walk back towards Zoey. He stood inches from her as he looked at her intensely. For the first time since she had met the bulky man she felt the sensation of electricity running through them. She reached out and took the sleeping bag from him, never taking her eyes off of Francis.

"I'll stay up with you for a few hours. If I feel the least bit different I will let you know. Zoey….I….don't want to be one of those things do you understand me. Promise me you'll do what you have to do to keep that from happening."

She looked away from Francis at the dull white colored wall. She wasn't sure she could promise him anything. 'Kill or be killed', she heard a little voice in the back of her mind say.

"Zoey…"

"Fine Francis I'll do what I have to, to survive. If that means killing you I will." She said coldly.

"Good." He whispered as he slowly turned to walk back to Louis and Bill.

They all rolled their sleeping bags out to get comfortable, which was easier said than done on the concrete floor. Zoey rolled on her side facing the guys. She watched them as they all tried to get in a relaxed position.

"Zoey, what were you studying in college?" She looked over at Louis as his question caught her off guard.

"I wasn't. It's kind of hard to study something if you never showed up for class." She stated.

Three pairs of eyes looked at her in surprise.

She went on to explain to them how she hated school but didn't have the heart to tell her parents that their daughter was flunking out.

"My father found out anyways. One of the last conversations I had with him was him screaming at be because of my grades. I was too busy watching stupid horror movies to go to class. I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning to watch Night of the Living Dead. Pretty ironic isn't it?" She said smiling.

"I'd say it is. " She heard Louis say.

"What about you Louis? What's your story?" Zoey said.

"Me? He said with a laugh. "I worked at a local electronics firm as a junior systems analyst in the IT department. Have you ever seen the movie Office Space?" Zoey shook her head yes. It was one of Jamie's favorite movies. "Well I was like the guy that always got shitted on by his boss; you know the one with the thick glasses that talked funny? I even thought about burning down the damn place once or twice but never had the balls to do it. The funny thing is I was going to turn my resignation in today. I worked there for four years without so much as a thank you." He said sourly.

"I'm sorry." Zoey said softly.

"Oh don't be Zoey. I was the one who chose to take the shit they dished out at me. They used to make fun of me when I would tell them I was going to the shooting range after work instead of going drinking with them. I guess they aren't laughing now are they?"

There was a moment of silence at that thought. No I guess they weren't laughing now.

"Your turn Francis." Louis said.

"There's not much to tell really. I was a mechanic because I love working with my hands. Seems like the only thing that I'm really good at."

Zoey's mind went to a bad place with that one and she had to redirect her attention back to what Francis was saying.

"I moved out of my parent's house when I was sixteen. My father knew how to use his hands too but not in the best way. I have a brother who I haven't spoken to in six years and now it looks like I never will."

"What happened?" Zoey interrupted him.

He hesitated for a minute looking at his hands as if reliving whatever had happened.

"I slept with his fiancé. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done. Never got to make it up to him." Zoey had to strain her ears to hear his voice. It was almost as if he were whispering.

She realized how easy her life had been compared to someone like Francis. He would have to live with the fact that his brother was probably gone and he never got to fix things with him.

"Anyways that's enough about me. Pops it's your turn." He said looking over at Bill.

There was a long sigh from Bill as he started with his story. "As you all know I was in Vietnam. I hated every minute of it, but I served because I loved my country. I enlisted at twenty-three and served for two years. I watched my friends die in front of me and carried their caskets back to their families. Zoey I know what you are going through right now because I carried my own brother back to my mother in a casket."

Zoey's breathing stopped cold. She looked into Bill's eyes and for a moment she was met with an understanding of the pain that was in her heart. For the first time she saw true sadness in this tough man. But as soon as she saw it appear it was gone. The soldier that he was came back to life.

"After my time, I was honorably discharged from the military and settled into a life of dead end jobs and sleepless nights. The only time I felt worth a damn was in a war and I guess you can say that this is a penance for my sins." He said as he motioned towards the door."

He didn't speak after that. The air was too heavy around Zoey as she thought about how all of their lives were pretty screwed up. She did not need this right now. She wanted to hear these men laughing and talking lightly, not kicking themselves for their mistakes in the past. The truth of the matter was that none of that shit mattered anymore. They all had a clean slate. What did matter was what they did from here on out. Screw the past and the awful mistakes that were made. You live and you learn and go forward from there. She had to change the atmosphere and fast before it smothered her.

"I love to go spider hunting." She said the first thing that popped into her head.

They all looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

Finally Francis smiled realizing what she was doing.

"I love Titanic." Louis said unashamed.

Zoey let out a chuckle.

"I love my beret." Bill said taking off his hat and dusting it off.

Zoey's smile grew wider as she felt the release of tension that had built up. The only person that hadn't joined in their conversation sat looking at the others as if he wasn't sure what to say.

"I love vests." Francis said, as he looked down, proudly at the one he wore.

Everyone was rolling in laughter. Even hard nosed Bill couldn't keep in the laughter.

"What? Oh so all you ass holes can say what you want and it's ok, but me loving my vest is funny huh?"

Zoey looked at Francis through the tears that had gathered in her eyes from laughing so hard to see him trying with everything he had not to bust out laughing. As soon as he made eye contact with Zoey, he joined them in their laughter.

As the night past on, their talks remained light. They had gotten the hardest parts of themselves out of the way and in those moments with Francis, Louis and Bill, she realized that she loved these men as if she had known them her whole life. It wasn't about being scared of being alone anymore, but it now was about losing these men….her family now. That is what they were beginning to feel like and at that moment she made a pact to die for them if she had to. Getting to know them had been a blessing in desguise.

Finally she felt exhausted and could hardly keep her eyes open. She looked over at Francis one more time as he smiled at her.

"It's ok Zoey. Get some sleep and I'll wake you up in a few hours."

"Goodnight Francis." She whispered.

"Goodnight darlin."

Right as she slipped into a dreamless sleep she could have sworn she heard a cough behind the door of their safe haven.

**Well it is midnight here and I have to be at work in five hours, but I didn't want to leave you people without an update, so feel sorry for me and review…ha-ha. Not much action in this one. I wanted to write a chapter about them beginning to get to know one another and how Zoey feels about them. Next chapter though, you better be ready!!!!!!!!! Review, Review!! Oh and to all the guys that are reading this….sorry about some of the mushiness Between Zoey and Francis, but you understand that there is more to come right? Bwaaahahahaha!!**


	9. We Are So Screwed

_**A/N: Hello again. Well here comes the action everyone! Let's see how our favorite survivors get out of the shit they are fixing to get in to!! Oh and you all know it will only get worse for them!**_

_**sped class: Thanks and here's your update.**_

_**Dekiller: Thanks for taking the time to read and review! It is much appreciated. I am flattered that it's in your top 10.…that's pretty awesome! I try to keep it realistic because the story is more than just a zombie story. It's more about a person trying to keep their humanity while something is trying to take it away from them at every turn. Looking around at the world we live in now, we all face this dilemma in some form or fashion so we call all relate in a way. Hope that makes sense…LOL!**_

_**Stormic09: Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you for your review! I'm going to keep going till this monster is finished! **_

_**OclairbearO: I know, I love mushiness too! It will only get mushier!! Ha-Ha!!!!! I'm thinking a good blend of action and romance with some angst thrown in there…..you can't go wrong.**_

**itachirocks31: Thank you for the review! I'm glad that you liked the chapter. I wanted more than anything to show the bond that is forming between them. I'm glad you saw it! And yes the smoker has arrived!!!!!!**

_**We Are So Screwed**_

_Zoey was awakened by a light shaking to her shoulder. She was disoriented and her first thought was she was being attacked. Scooting as far back as she could from her attacker she grabbed the M-16 and aimed it in front of her._

_"__Hey…whoa Zoey! It's me….put the gun down." _

_Zoey stood as still as possible. The gun, that she was holding, shook with her nervousness. _

_"__Zoey look at me. Come on darlin, you're ok. We haven't turned into an infected._

_Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to make sense of what was going on. The last time she had checked, those things didn't talk. _

_Suddenly she focused in on Francis' concerned face. Looking down at her shaking hands she realized that she was pointing a rather deadly weapon at him. _

_She slowly brought the gun down and laid it, on the floor, beside her._

_"__Oh shit Francis, I'm so sorry." She said frantically._

_"__Hey, it's ok no damage, though I think you need to starting working on her waking up skills Zoey. They fucking suck."_

_She let out a long breath and ran a hand across her perspiring face. She had just been a fraction of a second away from killing Francis. Looking past him she noticed Bill and Louis packing up some supplies in four backpacks they had found earlier. They were still human. _

_She felt some of the stress leave her as she looked at the three guys to see no change had occurred. Could it really be her luck that she had found immune like herself?_

_Bill looked at her and winked. "Looks like you're stuck with us kid." _

_She was just fine with that. Smiling she jumped to her feet and ran over to hug the old man. He chuckled and patted her back softly. "You'd better stop that before these asses think I'm a softy." He said in a playful voice. _

_She let go of him and turned to embrace Louis. Zoey was so relieved that they were alright. _

_Letting Louis go she took a step back and looked at the two men standing in front of her. Until this moment she didn't really know how desperate she was for them to be ok. But here they were flesh and blood human and she couldn't be happier._

_"__What about me?" Francis said. _

_She turned around to look at him and couldn't help hearing the small voice in the back of her mind that said she was most relieved that he was still okay. She could not even begin to rationalize that in her head right now._

_So she didn't try to think about it as she walked to the bulky man that was slowly worming his way into her thoughts. _

_She did not hesitate in wrapping her arms around Francis. He returned her gesture engulfing her in in his massive arms. Closing her eyes she let herself enjoy, if only for a moment, being in this man's safe embrace. Nothing could touch her here; no infected or hooded figures even the crushing blow of her family's deaths. _

_It was short lived as Francis reluctantly broke the embrace. _

_Clearing his throat he looked at her. "Um….w….we decided to get going. If…if you're ready and all." _

_Was he, big biker bad dude Francis, blushing? Now it was Zoey's turn to give him a crooked smile. _

_He smiled at her while shaking his head. "I'm such a fuckin pansy." He said as he walked past her to pick up his backpack. _

_"__Finally he admits it." Bill said laughing._

_"__Fuck you Bill, I can still kick you old ass." Francis said only half joking but with a smile._

_The time that they had spent talking earlier had actually brought all of them closer together even Bill and Francis. Their arguments were only half hearted now. Zoey started to believe that a few more moments of talking like the one they shared would turn the guys into genuine friends._

_"__Here you go Zoey." She was brought out of her thoughts by Louis throwing a backpack at her. She caught it and started looking through the contents. She saw the bag filled to the top with ammunition. Her eyes grew wide and she looked up at the guys watching her. _

_"__You are letting me carry the ammo? Are you sure about that?" _

_"__Sure, why not?" Bill said casually. "Besides you'll be close to one of us at all times so it's the easiest place to keep it." _

_"__Oh is that so? What, you think just because I'm a girl I can't take care of myself? I gotta be babysat by one of you?" She said heatedly._

_She hated that she was getting mad but she wanted to prove to these guys that she could pull her own weight. She wasn't some stupid girl in some horror movie that should have gone out the door instead of climbing up the stairs, or tripping when she ran. She was someone that could fight as good as the next person and she damn well wouldn't let these guys believe anything else._

_"__No that's not what I'm saying Zoey but the truth of it is the three of us are gonna make sure you're alright. That's just the way it is like it or leave it." Bill shot back._

_Zoey rolled her eyes and put the backpack on her shoulder. It was heavy but nothing that she couldn't handle. She knew if they had to walk a while her shoulders would be in terrible shape but she would be damned if she let these Neanderthals know that. She was waiting any minute for one of them to look at her and say 'Me Tarzan, you Jane.'_

_"__So where are we going from here?" Francis asked._

_Zoey remembered the note that her mother had left her. She pulled it out looking down at the neat writing. The letter said to head for Mercy Hospital which was about fifteen miles down the road. Could they all make it that far? She wasn't so sure at this point. _

_Holding the letter up for the guys to see, she told them about what her mother had said._

_"__A hospital? Why would they be picking survivors up there?" Louis asked confused._

_"__Guys Mercy Hospital is the tallest building in the city. On the roof is a helipad. I guess they figured it would be hard for the infected to climb so high up, who knows." Zoey said._

_"__Well, to the hospital it is then", Bill said walking to the door._

_He stopped and pressed his ear to listen for any movement. When he was satisfied he turned around and motioned for them to follow. _

_Zoey followed Bill out of the door as Francis and Louis walked behind them. _

_The basement was a war zone with broken bodies everywhere. Chunks of concrete from the walls lay all around them. They had to slowly walk around to the basement stairs. _

_Zoey had to swallow the bile that threatened to come up as she passed arms and legs detached from its owner's body. None of her horror movies looked this gruesome. She wondered if this is what Vietnam looked like to Bill but didn't dare speak her thoughts. The smell was the worst. Burning rotting flesh assaulted her senses so forceful that it made her eyes water. _

_She was relieved when they made it to the top of the basement. That feeling lasted for only a moment as she looked around at the destruction she saw. Every piece of furniture that her parents had owned was in pieces. It was worse than in her dreams. She felt nothing but red hot anger as she saw what was left of her parent's home. _

_Making it to the front door Bill stopped. He held up is hand for them to do the same as he slowly looked around the front yard. There was no sign of an infected anywhere. It was night but the streetlamps gave them enough light to be able to look around. _

_Louis' car sat unharmed where he had parked it and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Walking fifteen miles was not something any of them wanted to do. _

_"__Let's go. If you see anything at all or if we are ambushed you run like crazy to that car." Bill whispered._

_Everyone shook their heads in understanding and proceeded to walk out of the shattered house. _

_Zoey looked to her left and right but there was nothing. Something just didn't seem right to her. She knew that they had killed a lot of those things in the basement but there was bound to be some of them left around. _

_They reached the car and she went to open the door but stopped. She needed one last look at her home. Her parents and brother were still in the house where she had left them. She turned to look at the window of her parent's bedroom. _

_Louis, Bill and Francis were slowly getting into the car as she said her finally goodbyes. Turning around to open her door Zoey heard a whooshing sound like that of a whip being popped and then all ounce of breath was taken from her. _

_She looked down in horror to see a slimy pink thing, almost like a rope, wrapped around her midsection. She tried to scream for the guys but there was no air to use. The slimy thing, constricting her lungs from taking a breath, squeezed even tighter and Zoey felt at any moment she would be cut in to. Not so much as a squeak could come from her right now. Zoey did the only thing she could do which was beat her fist on the glass window of the car. _

_Francis looked up from his seat at the sound of her pounding fists. She watched as the man's eyes went from her reddened face down to her midsection where the hideous thing was. His eyes went wide as he turned to jump out of the car. She heard Louis open his door and stumble out to help her. _

_All of a sudden she was in motion going backwards in mid air. She barely heard Francis' screaming her name before she found herself surrounded by the inside of her parent's house again. _

_A crushing blow from behind almost made her pass out. Something hard was pressing into her already fragile body. She always thought it was ridiculous when she heard people say they were hit so hard they saw stars, well after this moment she would never think that again because she was seeing big huge stars accompanied by black spots everywhere she moved her head._

_Looking at the hole that she was violently pulled in to, she saw Francis, Bill and Louis running towards her. Francis was in a full sprint but to Zoey he was going in slow motion. _

_She felt herself fall to the floor only to realize she was on the stairs. Looking above her she saw that it was the banister that she had hit. She didn't have time to think before she was being pulled up the stairs. _

_She bumped and scooted over every step sending excruciating amounts of pain all over her body. She would give anything to scream at this point, just to release the pain within her. Her whole body had to be broken by this point with all the damage being done to it. _

_Whatever it was that steadily pulled her away from safety was only a few feet away from her. She couldn't see behind her but she could hear. _

_The thing, whatever it was, coughed and she realized that it was the noise she heard before falling asleep a while ago. It had been waiting for them to emerge out of the storm cellar before striking and she was the poor soul that found itself in this monsters path._

_She felt herself being pulled up to her feet as she slammed into the things body. She turned her head just a little and was met with a sight worse than any she could imagine. This hideous creature stood about four inches taller than her and was covered with boils and maggots. Looking at the things mouth she realized that what was wrapped around her body, killing her, was this monster's tongue. _

_She had just a few seconds left before she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. _

_As if the pain couldn't get any worse she felt the thing's sharp claws rip into her back. She didn't know what was worse, being eaten alive or sliced to death. _

_She slowly felt herself succumbing to the darkness that surrounded her but before she could pass into nothingness heard Francis' voice cut into her oblivion. He was screaming at the thing behind her, but she was too out of it to understand what he was saying. _

_Two things became clear to her in a fraction of a second. First was the crack of Francis' fist making contact with the things face, and secondly, how fast a person could suck in a huge amount of oxygen in one breath. She hit the floor with a crash and started to gasp. _

_Zoey could not control the gasps that came out of her. It wasn't enough to appease her bruised lungs. _

_She heard the sound of the M-16 reigning bullets into her captor's body. _

_She heard the thing explode behind her and was assaulted by the smell of smoke so potent that it took away what little breath she had. Zoey felt that this was the last straw. She would be dead. _

_Without hesitation Francis scooped Zoey up into his arms. She cried out as he rubbed the welts, on her back, with his arm. He did not slow down as he ran down the stairs towards the car._

_Zoey's cries were coming out in hoarse whispers that were foreign to her ears. She felt herself being pulled into the car across Francis' lap. _

_She was in bad shape and she knew it. There was no telling the amount of damage that was done to her and she couldn't bring herself to think about anything being broken. Zoey concentrated on the Francis' heartbeat where she laid her head on his chest. _

"_Drive Louis drive now!" _He screamed. Looking down at Zoey he whispered. "It's gonna be okay Zoey. Just hold on darlin, don't you dare die on me." She heard the desparation in his voice and knew that it was as bad as she thought.

She was jolted awake as her beaten body was pulled out of the car. She could hear the unmistakable sounds of the infected screaming behind her. Francis was running, with her in his arms, as easily as he could.

Opening her eyes she saw the horde running wildly towards them.

"Francis." She whispered weakly.

"Shhh, its ok Zoey." He said.

No it was not okay. As a matter of fact it wasn't even in the same universe as okay!

"_Get that fucking door open Louis_!" she heard Bill shout.

She wanted to look and see where they were but the fear would not let her take her bloodshot eyes away from the mass of killers headed quickly their way.

"_GET IN!" _The fear in Louis' voice brought chill bumps to her skin.

She saw the metal door close as they made it just in time for the horde to crash into the door they could not open. The screams and wails that came from them reminded her of a person being burned to death. The agony of it cut her to the bone. Were they really so obbessed with the kill?

Francis was breathing in and out about as fast as she was back at her parent's house when she was freed from the thing that tried to kill her.

She could hear the guys moving things around frantically.

"Put her down right here Francis" Bill said in a worried voice.

Francis didn't move. She wondered it he had gone into shock. She was in so much pain, and it was taking everything she could to stay conscious. What was that thing? It's….it's tongue had wrapped around her in a death like grip and its nails were as sharp as the hooded figures. She started to shake uncontrollable in Francis' arms.

"Francis come on man, you gotta put her down so we can check on her." Louis pleaded.

Slowly he started to walk towards the cot that they had found in the room.

Ever so gently he laid her down on her side.

She whimpered as the movement joggled her wounds. "I'm sorry Zoey." She heard Francis say.

"Okay we have to get her shirt off and look at her back. I think that's gonna be the best place to start with. She could have some broken bones and possibly a broken rib or two."

Zoey should have been embarraced at what Bill was suggesting but she couldn't think about anything but the pain. She would gladly take every bit of clothing off, in front of the guys, if that meant the pain would go away.

She felt herself being pulled into a sitting position. Zoey opened her eyes to see Francis only a few inches away from her. He was unzipping her hoodie as Bill and Louis took her arms out of the sleeves. Next she felt the white tank top go leaving her only in a bra.

"Bill, pass me that blanket over there would ya?" Francis said pointing behind her. She felt him drape the blankent in front of her to cover her as much as he could. It surprised her how gentle he was and she made a note to tease him about it later.

He took her shoulders and brought her against him. She laid her head on his chest as they inspected the damage on her back.

"It looks as though it hurts like hell, but I don't think it's too deep. It's more than a scratch though." Louis said.

She felt one of them put pressure down beside her left rib and she cried out in pain.

"Is it broken?" Francis asked.

"I don't know. There would be no way of knowing without an X-Ray."

"Yeah Bill let me go get that for you." Francis said sarcastically.

"Damn it Francis don't start with me right now. I'm just as scared as you but I don't know what you want me to say. You want me to say that she's alright? Well I can't do that. I'm no fucking doctor."

"Look around this place. There has got to be something to give her for the pain." Bill stood up and did as Louis asked.

A moment later she felt Bill sit back down. She could hear him turning pages in a book reading words she couldn't understand. "Ah here it is….morphine."

Now that word she did know. How in the hell did they get their hands on some morphine?

"You better fuckin make sure you know what you're doing otherwise you could kill her." Bill did not respond to what Francis said.

A few minutes later she felt a poke in her left arm. It stung like a bitch but the stinging only lasted a moment before Zoey was beyond the world of consciouness.

She came to a couple of times but not enough to interact with the guys. She wanted to talk to them and let them know everything was going to be ok but she did not have the strength to even open her eyes. She was in such complete relaxation during this time. There was no pain or fear.

When she would come out of the darkness she could hear them talking, mostly about how they thought she was doing.

The first time she opened her eyes, it was only briefly. She looked around, trying to let her eyes adjust to the light from above her. What greeted her was the face of Francis so close to her own. She realized that he was lying beside her sleeping. A small smile graced her face before she returned to darkness.

Slowly she felt herself gaining more control over staying conscious. The pain wasn't as bad now as it had been. She didn't know if that was because she was healing or the medication they were giving her but whatever it was she was grateful for it.

Opening her eyes she saw the guys sitting around her. They were talking lightly about nothing in particular. Francis was sitting the closest to her and she could have sworn that every once in a while she could feel his hand brush her cheek.

"Hey." She whispered. Her voice was as dry as the desert in Arizonia and she desperately wanted water.

At the sound of her voice Francis, Bill and Louis jumped to their feet turning suddenly to her.

She tried to sit up but found that that was not happening because of how weak she was.

"Don't move darlin. You're body's been through a lot. Just lay there and rest some more."

She looked into the worn out eyes of Francis and something caught her attention. Slowly turning towards Bill and Louis she noticed the same thing on all of their faces.

"Zoey what is it?" She must have been looking at them confused if Francis' voice was any indication.

She just couldn't understand it. There was no possible way that she could have missed it.

On all three of the guys she noticed facial hair. They all had the beginnings of a beard and she wasn't talking about a five o'clock shadow either.

Zoey reached her hands up to Francis' face to make sure what she was seeing was real. Sure enough she felt the rough texture of his hair.

She was afraid of the answer to her next question but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"How long have I been out?"

She watched the guys glance at each other before Bill finally answered.

"Zoey it's been two weeks."

**Bwaaahahahahaha!! Poor Zoey, could you imagine being out that long and not realizing it! Anyway, please review….the more reviews I get the happier I am to continue. I will try to get another update out tomorrow, but I don't know if I will…..I will try to though! I have to go out of town for work but hopefully I will be back to ****do some more writing!! **


	10. Recovery

**A/N: Wow, my most reviewed chapter yet!! Thank you so much. I just have to say that I love writing this story. My mind is working in overdrive at all the possible paths to take this story! It's so exciting. **

**Dekiller: LOL, I know I'm being mean to Zoey, but she has some bright moments ahead for her. I think I will let Francis lift her spirits a little. Thank you for the review.**

**spedclass: Thanks so much!**

**OclairbearO: Yep, leave it to Bill to just drop the bomb like that! He-he. Thanks for the review**

**itachirocks31: Awe…I love Zoey!! I really do, but she should have just gotten in the car and maybe she would have been okay…..maybe!! Ha-ha! Smokers are one of my favorite characters to play on versus mode so I had to give it major props! As for the tank and the witch, oh that's gonna be so much fun to write!! Thanks for the review.**

**AspiringAuthor: Thank you, thank you and thank you!! And as for a sequel…we will see, I mean there are four campaigns right?**

**Stormic09: Thank you for taking the time for a review before going to bed!! Have a great night and thanks for the review!**

**TetraLink17: Thank you for stopping by and taking time to read the story. I am a die hard Zoey/Francis fan as well. One of the reasons why I'm writing this is because like you said there aren't many stories out there about them. They have so much potential and I hope I do them justice. Thanks for the review!!**

**Paladin Juul: Wow, thanks so much for your review and for taking the time to read my story! I am having so much fun writing it. It helps when people like you leave such an awesome comment! Keep them coming.**

**Recovery**

"It's been….two….weeks?" Zoey asked stunned. My God all that time they had lost and all because of her.

She tried to sit up from her cot but found that she had little strength to even lift her head. Zoey was afraid that there was some serious damage done to her body.

"Help me up." She asked.

The guys hesitated a minute looking at each other as if they weren't really sure that was a good idea. No one moved to help her so Zoey tried again to sit up.

She made it half way before collapsing back down on the cot. Everything felt off, like she wasn't in control of her body. For a moment she wondered if that was what it was like for the infected.

"Look guys the quicker you get me off this damn cot the quicker we can leave. We have lost too much time as it is, and we'll be lucky if we are even able to be rescued." She said low.

If they would have only left her they could have been rescued by now. Had she cost them their only chance to survive? All they had to do was walk away and they could have made it. That thought made her feel so miserable.

Francis was the first to move as he leaned down and helped her sit up. She wasn't in too much pain which was a good thing. He sat down beside her keeping a hand on her shoulder just in case she started to fall over.

"How are you feeling?" Louis asked.

"Well, most of the pain is gone but I feel like my body weighs a ton. I feel out of balance."

"It's probably from the morphine we've been giving you. Several times…..you've screamed out in pain." She looked over at Francis as he spoke.

"Do we have any water?" She said straining her parched throat.

Louis walked over to their backpacks and pulled out the bottled water for her. She stared unashamed at the twelve ounce bottle of water. The way she was feeling right now she could drink about fifty of them.

He handed it to her and she slowly opened it bringing it to her chapped lips.

The first taste of the water was something she would remember for a long time to come. She could feel every ounce of it sliding down her throat bringing it to life.

She gulped down the bottled water in record time being very careful not to waste a drop.

After she was finished she felt a lot better. She didn't feel as though her mouth was on fire anymore.

"So two questions", she started, "where are we at and how far is it from the hospital?"

"We are in a vault at a local Pharmacy. We saw it from the road and lucky for us the door was wide open."

She looked around the room as Bill told her where they were. She finally noticed the medications all around her. She knew exactly where they were. Mercy Pharmacy was the only pharmacy that she knew had a vault where they stored their drugs. The workers must have been in a hurry if they left the door open.

"We got real lucky when we found this place."

She agreed with Francis on that.

"And how far are we from the hospital?"

No one spoke for a moment and she took that as a bad sign.

"You want the good news or the bad news first?" She heard Francis sigh as he spoke. He used the same line on her that she did on him back when she was trying to clean his wounds.

"Let's start with the bad news."

"Well we are about eight miles from the hospital and we have no way to get around except to walk."

What in the world did he mean by that she wondered? Wasn't the car still parked outside?

Seeing the confused look on her face, Francis continued. "Well you see a car can only go for so long without gas and once it's empty it doesn't seem to work as well."

He was trying to make light of the situation but she wasn't feeling too amused at the moment.

"If that's the bad news what's the good news?"

"We're alive." Bill spoke before Francis could.

Zoey would agree with that. She might not feel so peachy at the moment, but at least she was still alive.

"So we have some miles to go and on foot huh?" She asked.

The guy's just shook there heads to confirm her question.

"Well I better be getting on my feet and gaining my strength back."

"Zoey you shouldn't overdue it darlin. Rest for a few more days and then we will head to the hospital."

"Francis we have already lost so much in the past two weeks. Because of me we might not have any hope of being saved now."

"Zoey what happened could not be helped. It wasn't your fault you were attacked and hurt." Louis said sitting down on the other side of her. She looked at the man and gave him a small smile. It was a nice gesture to try and make her feel better about the situation but the only thing that could make that happen was for her to be on her feet moving around.

"Well it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm exhausted. Lets get some sleep everyone; we can discuss this in the a few hours." Bill said looking at his watch.

Sleep…..she had been sleeping for two weeks now and she wasn't anywhere near tired anymore.

"You aren't gonna stop trying to get up are you?" Francis asked her.

"Would you?" She asked him defiantly. No he wouldn't stop trying to get his strength back. She could not afford anymore time of sitting around being hurt.

"I guess not." He said looking down at her. They looked at each other for a moment before Francis let out a sigh and stood to his feet. Reaching down he grabbed Zoey gently around the waist and slowly brought her to her feet.

At first, Zoey had to put all of her weight on Francis. She just couldn't seem to find the strength to stand.

"Zoey, do you need to sit down?" Francis asked.

"No, I can do this damn it." She said angrily.

This was the most frustrating thing Zoey ever felt. She would be damned if she let it beat her though. Zoey would be walking on her own before Bill and Louis woke up if it was the last thing she did.

Perspiration was forming on her forehead a couple of minutes later as she found her footing about began taking baby steps. Francis had a tight hold on her but was letting her put most of her weight down.

They walked in a circle without speaking. Zoey was concentrating too much on putting one foot in front of the other.

She was sore and stiff but otherwise felt pretty good. The pain was all but gone.

They had been walking around in this circle for a good half hour before Zoey finally had to sit down. She felt really good about her progress. A few more hours and she should be walking on her own.

Francis walked over to the backpack and grabbed the bottled water and handed it to Zoey.

Zoey noticed how close they were sitting and couldn't stop her stomach from doing flips.

Stealing looks at Francis, she noticed how tired he looked. It was as if he had been up the two weeks she was out. He was staring off at nothing as if thinking of something. It gave her a few minutes to really study him.

The hard lines of his face were noticeable right now and it gave him a rugged look. He was not the most beautiful man she had ever seen but something about him made her heart race.

She wondered what would have happened if things were normal and she had run in to Francis somewhere. Sadly she suspected it wouldn't be very nice. He was a mean looking man until you got to know him.

But in truth, nothing that she would have done in a normal world mattered at this point.

That way of life was over with. It was taken from each of them by a virus from hell.

She turned to look at the men sleeping on the floor. It wasn't as if Francis was the only man left.

Zoey's eyes landed on Louis. He was smart, funny, and good looking. In a normal world he was the kind of guy that she would always fall for. Yet looking at him right now she felt nothing but a strong friendship for her comrade.

So it wasn't that she had no options. 'What is it about this man', she wondered as she turned around to see him staring at her.

She noticed, for the first time, that his eyes were green and were as deep as any ocean.

She would have no problem losing herself in the depths of them and would gladly welcome it.

No, it wasn't the lack of choices that made Zoey long for this man, but it was the man himself.

She realized in such a short time she was starting to fall fast for Francis. It caught her off guard for a moment because truthfully she didn't know a thing about him. All she knew was the stuff he shared with them for that brief moment, yet she was slowly beginning to need Francis but not in the same way she needed Bill or Louis.

The feeling scared her in a way that those monsters could never do.

She watched as different emotions found there way onto Francis' face. Could it be that he was struggling with the same thing she was?

"How old are you Zoey?" Francis whispered.

"Nineteen."

She slowly watched as he leaned down to her. It was as if she was out of her body for a moment watching from a far.

She felt herself mimicking Francis as she leaned up to meet him. For one brief moment Zoey felt as if everything was normal. As if the world outside was the same as it used to be. This man, only inches from her now, was giving her a gift and he didn't even realize it. For the first time since hell was released on earth, Zoey felt human. She felt all the emotions that only a human could feel. Excitement, longing, fear, hope…..love. That is what separated them from the infected. One simple word…..love.

She felt Francis' breath caress her face as he let out a long sigh. Zoey watched him stop and close his eyes.

She felt her heart drop as he moved back away from her.

Confusion was the first thing she felt as she watched Francis put his head in his hands. She wanted to hit him in his thick skulled head but knew it would only cause her pain.

"Zoey I….I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He said in a sad voice.

Did he not see that she was moving to meet him? Did he not understand that she wanted this probably more than he did? All these questions were going through her head as she watched Francis torture himself with what he thought was an almost stupid mistake on his part.

Zoey looked away blinking back the tears that tried to make an appearance. She was so close to what she wanted, yet saw it flee in just a second.

'Maybe there isn't any happy endings to be found in this horror movie', she told herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zoey watched Francis pick his head up slowly and look at her. She turned away from him so he couldn't see her tears.

He must have taken her reaction the wrong way because he stood up and walked over to Bill and Louis.

"Goodnight Zoey." She heard him whisper.

She laid down facing the wall away from the others and let her tears slowly fall down her face.

She swore she wouldn't cry again, but she felt so rejected. Did she just imagine him leaning in to kiss her?

Her tears finally stopped as she slowly fell asleep.

She was awakened by the sound of low voices talking behind her. Raising her head, she saw Bill, Francis, and Louis eating on the floor and talking quietly about when they would be ready to leave.

She slowly sat up catching the attention of the three men. She was well aware that it was Louis and not Francis who helped her stand to her feet.

The heaviness in her heart just got a little heavier.

She looked over at Francis and noticed he wouldn't look at her.

Standing slowly, Louis helped her over to the sack of food. Zoey noticed that she was able to walk on her own a lot better today.

"How are you feeling?" Louis asked.

"I feel much better." Zoey said smiling at him.

"There's a bathroom in the corner there if ya need it. If you want to take a shower or anything it's got one." Bill said.

Zoey wanted very much to take a shower. She hadn't taken one since they were in the storm cellar at her parent's house.

She shook her head yes and Louis walked with her as she went to the bathroom.

"The towels are on the sink here and we found a few bars of soap that's about it though." Louis said pointing to the towels.

"That will be enough Louis, thank you."

She closed the door after he walked out and leaned on it. Closing her eyes, she tried to get a hold of her emotions. This wasn't fucking high school. They were fighting for their lives here and she had to get her mind on that instead on how much it hurt for Francis to ignore her.

Slowly walking to the bathtub she turned on the hot water.

Zoey stayed under the stream of hot water as long as she could stand it. She was feeling so much better today. The morphine had worn off a lot and she felt like herself again.

Her mind went back to Francis. She was going to have to talk to him. He had totally taken everything the wrong way and she was going to make it right.

Stepping out of the shower she was met with her reflection in the mirror. Her face was as pale as the white walls that surrounded them. There were black bags under her eyes and her face looked as if she had lost a few pounds.

As she put on her clothes she noticed that her favorite pair of jeans weren't as snug as they used to be. 'Well that's one way of losing weight', she thought.

Zoey stepped out of the bathroom door and walked slowly back to her cot. She felt so much better after getting cleaned up.

"When are we leaving?" She asked no one in particular.

They stared at her for a moment before Louis spoke up. "Zoey….um, we aren't sure that you're ready."

"Well I'm walking a lot better and on my own. I think I can be ready to go by tonight."

"We will wait and see. I'm not sure you're ready yet." Bill said.

She took a deep breath. Zoey had to agree with him on that because she wasn't sure either.

Zoey looked back at Francis, who was looking straight ahead at the vault door. He looked as though he hadn't slept any that night.

"Zoey eat this. You haven't had much to eat in the past two weeks."

She looked down to see Bill pressing a bowl of oatmeal into her hands.

She was starving by now and she ate every bit of that oatmeal as fast as she could.

Zoey stopped to see three pairs of eyes on her as she licked her lips clean. The guys were staring at her in fascination like they had never seen a girl eat that fast.

"Let's see you go two weeks without eating much and see how you react." She said defensively.

They all grinned at her, even Francis. She thought that that was good.

"Well we don't have much left Zoey so pace yourself." Louis said bumping her arm with his elbow in a playful manner.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched the smile fall from Francis' face. He looked away from her back to the vault door.

"I'm going to do some more walking around guys, so I can be ready by tonight." Zoey said as she slowly got to her feet.

"Need some help?" Louis said standing with her.

"No thanks Louis, I'm fine." She said patting his arm.

Zoey turned and walked away from the guys to the vault door. Her legs were sore but not enough for her to need assistance. She was damn well going to be ready for tonight. The sooner they all got out of here the better.

There wasn't much food left like Louis said. She knew they would run out in another day or two so it was important for her to be able to leave tonight.

A while later Zoey sat down on the floor beside Bill and Louis. She had done really well walking today and she thought it would be okay to leave soon. Francis was in the shower and Bill and Louis sat eating.

She really wasn't that hungry but knew she would need to eat to keep her strength.

As she raised the first spoonful of food to her mouth she froze.

Walking out of the bathroom, in front of her, was a shirtless Francis. He was holding his shirt and vest in his hands as he walked over to his backpack.

She followed his movements with every step he took unable to take her eyes off of the rippled muscles of his back.

She frowned as he put his shirt on hiding the well defined muscles.

Zoey would never get used to seeing his body, and she tried to hide her ogling as she noticed Bill watching her stare.

She watched Bill look from her to Francis and then back at her. She could see his mind trying to figure out something.

Louis picked up her spoon that had dropped, from her hand, unnoticed and handed it back to her. She smiled sheepishly at him and resumed eating.

"Bill what time is it?" Zoey asked not looking away from the vault door.

"6:30 p.m. why?"

"I think it's time for us to leave." Looking over at Bill she saw how unsure he was about that.

"I'm fine I promise." She said to him.

"You're not ready."

Francis' voice came from behind her. She turned towards him to see him looking at her coldly. Now he wanted to talk to her?

Zoey could feel anger rise up within her and faught to bring it under control. He hadn't said one thing to her all day and didn't even offer to help her with anything but now he expects to be able to put his two cents in.

"Francis I think that is my decision to make not yours." Zoey hated how mad she sounded but she was furious. He was frustrating the hell out of her lately and she had had enough.

"Fuck yeah it's my deccision. We leave and you aren't ready, you could kill us all Zoey. This time we might not be able to save you." He said in a harsh voice.

She stood and slowly walked towards the bulk of a man. She had stopped seeing him before she got on her feet. Now all she was seeing was red.

Zoey grabbed Francis by the vest, with both hands, and yanked him towards her. Her face was only inches away from his as she spoke in a low deadly voice.

"Let's get this straight right now ass hole. Don't think for one second I would ever put any of you in danger. If I say I'm ready that means I'm fucking ready."

She watched his face go from shocked to humor. The crooked smile that she loved so much was shining back at her.

Letting go of him she turned to grab her pistols and backpack.

Zoey reached and opened the vault as the three men stood there watching her in shock.

Standing a few feet from the door was an infected. It looked up at Zoey and came charging towards her as it screamed.

Raising her two pistols, Zoey pressed the triggers and stopped the creature dead in its tracks.

Lowering her guns Zoey looked back at the still three stunned men as she spoke."Recovery's over ladies! It's time to move."

**Don't you just love Zoey when she's mad!?! I am starting on the next chapter right now, so if you want that one out today….just review!!**


	11. Gunfire in the Distance

_**A/n: Hello again!! I just want all of you to know that you make me happy!!! Thank you for taking the time to read my writing. Since this is the first story I have written it gives me courage to continue writing even after this story is done. But we have a while before that happens. If you just read the chapters and don't review….thanks to you too!! I would love you to leave a review but if you don't thanks anyway…LOL! **_

_**OclairbearO: Thank you for your enthusiasm about the story!! It makes me want to continue writing. As for the tension between Zoey/Francis I actually wanted them to just go ahead and get together but Francis stopped me. He didn't like that idea….said it wasn't his way or whatever sooooo I think I'll just torture them for a bit….LMAO! **_

_**Dekiller: Thank you so much for your review….yeah that Zoey can be a firecracker when she wants to be. Francis is being such a mean head I know, but he'll snap out of it in a bit. He has his reasons he's being this way and you'll find out soon. **_

_**Mehtheinfernal: Thank you so much for lurking….Ha-ha and for leaving a comment. It is much appreciated!! I don't want this story to be too much angst or too much gore….in the most horrible of situations there is always some humor to be had!! And yes, Bill is smarter than most people give him credit for. To me he is a good judge of people. He can see what's happening when most people can't. Whether he will say something or not I don't have a clue….he might though. But as for right now he isn't saying a word! **_

_**Stormic09: Hahahah…..what in the world!!! That gave me a great laugh thank you!! You sure you got some sleep last night?? **_

_**Gunfire in the Distance**_

_Zoey felt herself being pulled back into the vault room. Someone had grabbed her by the waste and was not so gently sitting her back on the cot. _

"_Zoey of all the stupid things you could have done. Don't you ever fuckin do that again." _Francis shouted.

"You know what Francis, you really are a pansy. Don't you put your hands on me again."

Zoey could not believe what was happening between her and Francis. Just hours ago they almost shared an intimate moment and now they were biting each other's head off.

"Gladly!" He shot back.

She watched him turn around and close the door. He stood there with his back towards her and his hands stretched out on the door. He put his head down as if he were trying to get a hold of his out of control emotions.

Zoey jumped at the sound of Francis' boot hitting the metal door as he kicked it.

"Alright that's enough!" Bill said looking at both of them. "Whatever is going on here….fix it…_NOW_!"

Zoey looked over at Bill and saw how mad he was. This team was falling apart because of her emotions. She was being stupid and taking it out on Francis because of his rejection. She really was going to get one of them killed.

Francis slowly turned around to look at Zoey. He was glaring at her until she looked up and met his eyes. She watched in fascination as the cold stare turned to something more like caring.

"Come on Zoey." Louis said as he reached down to help her up. She let him but didn't take her eyes off of Francis.

Their connection was broken by Louis as Francis looked away. She watched the sadness creep back on his face as he turned away from her.

"Zoey are you sure that you're ready?" Louis asked as he let go of her.

She looked over at Francis, who was still looking at the door.

"I'm fine guys."

She walked around Louis and headed for Francis.

If he heard her approach he didn't turn around. Slowly she laid her hand on his back. She could feel the muscles tense up with her touch and decided to remove her hand.

Francis slowly turned as she spoke to him. "Francis, please trust me on this okay. I know that I was in bad shape two weeks ago, but I swear to you that I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about okay….you'll be fine."

He looked at her with a sad smile. "You think I'm worried about me?" He asked her.

And there it was again. Zoey saw for just a moment how much Francis cared about her.

She reached up and laid her hand on his arm wanting more than anything to take the pain out of his eyes. She really didn't understand why he looked so tortured but it hurt her nonetheless.

"I….we can do this okay. Let's get going before it's too late."

Francis sighed heavily looking away from Zoey to Bill and Louis. "You heard the lady! I guess we're headed out."

Zoey gave him the biggest smile that she could as he put his hand over hers. He gave it a light squeeze as he looked at her and winked.

He went over and joined Louis and Bill as they got their things together.

Things between them were far from worked out but she felt some of the burden lift just a bit.

Everyone stood at the door to the vault with the guns raised and their backpacks in place.

Bill turned to the others and nodded his head as he pushed the door open.

They were in their usual formation with Bill leading and Zoey behind him followed by Francis and Louis.

Stepping out into the deserted pharmacy it dawned on Zoey that one of her childhood friends used to work here. She hoped like hell that Karen had gotten out in time.

The stench of rotting flesh made its way into Zoey's nose and she had to hold back a gag. She put her arm over her face as they kept walking to the entrance.

Looking out of the windows she noticed that there weren't many infected in view. She hoped it would stay like that as long as possible. Francis was right on her heels staying as close as possible to her.

They could see their car from here. Zoey hated that they couldn't use it anymore. It would have made this so much easier but as it was they would have to walk the eight miles.

Bill stopped and knelt down on one knee raising his gun to take out the few infected outside. Zoey followed his lead as she heard Francis and Louis cocking their guns to get ready.

Bill took down two before the others were aware of what was going on, but it didn't take long for their attention to go towards the sound of the gun.

They started to charge at them as Zoey opened fire. She took down one while Francis and Louis finished the others off.

'So far so good.' She thought.

Bill stood up and started walking again.

They made it outside and the sound of silence welcomed them. It was strange to hear how quiet it was.

They walked through the shadows as much as they could until they came to an alley.

"Zoey which way is it?" Bill whispered.

She pointed in front of them towards the end of the alley. Bill shook his head in understanding and continued to walk.

As they made it to the end of the alley they noticed a fence was blocking the way they needed to go.

"Now what?" Francis said low.

Everyone looked at Zoey for the answer as she tried to figure out where they were in regards to the hospital. She had never been in this alley before so she didn't know where it leads to. The last thing they needed was to find themselves going the wrong way.

Looking around she noticed an opening to their left and walked slowly over to it. Zoey reached around the brick wall to see another long alley that was pretty much empty.

"This way." She said to the guys.

She waited for them to come to where she was standing before going on.

The alley was not well lit. The only light they had was coming from fires that were lit in trash cans that the homeless used to get warm with.

Zoey looked up above her at the tall buildings around them. It was too dark to see anything but she wanted to make sure nothing was up there that could surprise them.

Coming close to the end of the alley it started to get brighter.

They noticed headlights up ahead.

Coming to the end of the alley they noticed that they were at a street now. They could hear moans coming from around the building but it didn't sound like too many.

Bill held his hand up for them to stop as he peered around the building.

He turned around to address them. "Okay it looks like ten maybe fifteen that's not bad right?"

One was bad to her but she didn't say it out loud.

"Let's do this." Francis said holding up his shotgun.

They slowly made there over to a police car undetected. Leaning down behind it, they would use it as protection.

"Once we start shooting at them they will charge us. If there are more around here we head back into the alley got it?" Bill asked them softly.

Everyone shook their heads in understanding and leaned up to take aim.

"On the count of three." Bill started. "One……two……THREE!"

The night was disturbed by the sound of four guns taking down one infected after the next. Just as Bill had said, once the first sound of the guns reached the infected ears they charged towards them as if the sound was physically harming them.

It didn't take long before they finished the ten or so infected creatures off and they were back to walking in the shadows against the buildings. They had tried to open the police car but it was no use.

Looking around, the street was filled with abandoned cars.

"Let's check the cars. Surely one of them has to be unlocked." Bill said walking to a red Mercedes.

Zoey, Francis and Louis walked to the nearby cars to check and see if they could get in. They were separating themselves from each other and Zoey didn't think that was such a wise idea.

Before she could voice her mind there was a piercing sound to her left. She reached to cover her ears as she looked over at the object disturbing the quiet night.

She noticed Louis staring, in horror, as the car in front of him was blaring. He had activated the car alarm trying to get inside of it.

Everyone froze, not sure what to do.

Over the loud cry of the car Zoey heard the unmistakable sound of the infected.

Jumping over the hood of the car that she was standing by she ran as fast as she could towards Francis and Bill. She could hear Louis right behind her running on her heels.

The four humans stood in the middle of the street as they watched the horde of infected headed their way.

There was a scream to their left, right and behind them. Turning in every direction Zoey saw that they were trapped. There was no where to go.

If she would have had to make a hard guess at how many they were up against she would have guessed at least one hundred.

One hundred killing, psychotic, insane monsters against four humans with just a handful of guns and ammo wasn't a fair fight.

She looked at Francis, who was frantically looking around for anywhere to go but she already knew that they were trapped.

Then it hit her. She almost started crying it was such a relief.

Taking her backpack off she reached down and felt the one thing that could save them all.

She took it out and turned it on. Zoey watched as the red light started to blink and it started beeping.

Turning around, she was met with the sight of the horde almost to them. She held the pipe bomb up and prayed that this would work.

Giving it a kiss she took two steps back before throwing it as hard as she could into the mass of infected.

She watched it bounce a couple of times before coming to a stop.

Zoey watched in fascination as the infected, coming towards them, stopped and ran after the bomb.

She heard the beeping of the bomb and wondered if she had done it right. Why had it not gone off?

Before she could think, there was a loud boom where the bomb landed. It knocked Zoey and the guys off their feet onto their asses.

Zoey shook her head as she looked at the devastation. The first thing she noticed was that their path was clear.

They jumped to their feet and took off running.

Zoey took a chance and looked behind her to see the horde following after them.

There was a sound up ahead of them that Zoey couldn't quite make out. It sounded close to gunfire but she wasn't sure. The horde behind her was screaming too loud.

The closer they got to the building ahead of them the louder the gunfire, which now she was sure of, got.

"_LOOK!" _Louis shouted.

Zoey raised her head in the direction he was pointing and was shocked by what she saw.

There, on the top of the fire escape, stood five humans shooting at the horde behind them.

"_THIS WAY!" _One of them yelled as he kicked down the ladder for them to climb.

Reaching the ladder Zoey was the first one up. She climbed as fast as she could to the people above them.

When she got to the top she felt a hand reach out and pull her into an apartment. She fell to her knees breathing hard. At that moment she felt all of her injuries again. Her lungs were begging her for more oxygen than she could breathe in but she refused to lose consciousness.

She felt Louis land beside her and he sounded as though he wasn't in much better shape. Bill was in next and he landed on the floor hard, breathing faster than she was.

Zoey noticed after a minute that Francis was not in the apartment with them. She gasped at the thought that they had left him down there to die at the hands of the horde.

Turning towards the window, she made it to her feet just in time to see Francis jumping in the apartment.

He lay there looking at the ceiling trying to get his breath. Zoey ran over to him and knelt down beside him checking him over.

"I'm fine darlin…..no worries." He said through deep breaths.

Turning around, she checked Louis and Bill for any sign that they were hurt but they assured her they were fine.

Breathing out a sigh of relief for her comrade's safety, Zoey crumbled to the ground.

Her adrenaline had lost its steam and she did not have anything left.

She watched as Francis sat up and looked at her in concern. He gently placed his hands on her arm and pulled her up against him wrapping his arms around her.

"Tell me you're ok." He whispered.

She couldn't talk so she just shook her head yes.

"Holy hell man, did you see all those fuckers!" Zoey slowly turned her head to the new humans who were slowly climbing back into the window.

There were five of them and she noticed all were men.

The first one through the window was a thin, black haired kid no older than her.

The next one through the window was a little taller and thicker. He was balding on the top of his head and looked to be about mid thirties.

She watched as the other three men climbed in to join them and noticed that one was as old as Bill. The other two were younger, again about her age.

It had been a long time since she had seen anyone besides Francis, Bill and Louis alive so she couldn't help but stare at these men.

She started to hope again that maybe there was more survivors out there.

As she looked at each one of the men she noticed something strange about them. All of them, every single one was staring at……her.

She felt Francis tense as he got to his feet bringing her along with him. He pushed her behind him a little as he stood in front of the men.

Louis and Bill stood as well stepping a little closer to her.

No one spoke for a moment as the men continued to stare. They even leaned over to see past Francis to get a good look at her.

Even though she was thrilled that other people were alive, she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the stares.

"You fuckers got a problem?" Francis asked.

That snapped them out of the trance they were in and they started looking at Francis, Bill and Louis.

"Oh, sorry about that. It's been a while since we've seen….you know….a woman and all." The balding man said.

"I'm Joey. This is Nathan, Paul, Daniel and Tom." As he introduced all the men they nodded their heads.

"How in the hell did you all get through those bastards?" The one named Paul asked.

"Grenade." Bill said simply.

"No shit? I would have loved to have seen that." Tom said.

"We gotta move to a safer place and then we can talk. Those ass holes can still climb up here. Follow us." Joey said.

The five men turned and walked through the apartment to the stairs.

Zoey and the guys followed them. She still noticed how they walked besides her boxing her in.

They led them to a huge room that reminded her of a storage room only way bigger.

As they walked in they noticed several mattresses lined along the far wall. There was a round table in the middle of the room littered with bags of food and ammo. There was a hand radio on the table as well and she wondered if it worked.

"We have plenty more mattresses for you all to use. We'll got and get them. The man named Daniel said as he turned to Paul and asked him to help.

These men seemed pretty nice in Zoey opinion and she wondered if the guys were being overprotective as usual.

She looked over to her left as she heard grunting and saw the two men struggling to get the mattress through the door.

Sighing, Bill and Louis went to help the men. Francis stayed right where he was, staring down the man, who Zoey imagined was the leader.

She watched as Joey stared right back at Francis with a half smirk on his face like they were sizing each other up.

Men, she would never understand them as long as she lived.

"You're a big man. Why don't you go and help them?" Joey said to Francis.

"I'd rather stay here where I'm really needed if that's ok."

She was confused at Francis' stern voice but didn't say anything out loud.

Joey looked from Francis to Zoey and his smug smile grew. For a moment it looked rather evil in her opinion.

"I see." He said as he walked over to the two men standing at the table watching them.

Zoey was starting to get the feeling that this wasn't such a good idea anymore. There was tension, as thick as smoke, hanging in this room and she was starting to believe it was because of her.

Francis grabbed her hand and led her to Bill and Louis as they pushed some mattresses into the room.

They made sure to position them on the opposite wall as the other men.

Zoey was lead to the wall and noticed how the guys had laid out the mattresses.

The one that she suspected was hers was pushed closest to the wall with a mattress on the other side and the other mattresses were at the top and bottom of hers. Even with the sleeping arrangements they were boxing her in to protect her.

Zoey walked to her mattress and laid down. She was completely exhausted after what had just happened.

"It's really amazing that we found you guys. I was starting to believe that there weren't any people left." Paul said from the table.

"And with a woman on top of that. How the hell did you survive lady?"

Zoey looked up to see the men again staring wholes through her. It really was starting to get uncomfortable but if they haven't seen a woman in weeks what did she expect.

"Luck and these guys." She answered them.

They sat and discussed where they all met up at. The three young guys Nathan, Paul and Tom had attended Mercy Community College when the outbreak happened. They had found each other and barricaded themselves in Tom's dorm room unto Joey and Daniel had rescued them. They had been staying in the apartment building where Joey lived for the past two weeks.

Zoey and the guys didn't say much about how they met. They just told them it wasn't here in Mercy City.

She guessed the guys didn't feel comfortable giving out too much information about them. They didn't know these men at all and them staring at her didn't help their cause.

"Um…I was wondering if there was a bathroom around here." She asked the men.

For a moment none of them spoke, but just stared at Zoey. She was beginning to have a complex after so many stares.

Clearing his throat, Joey stood up and moved to the door. "Right this way ma'am." He said smiling.

Francis stood at the same time as she did and followed her out of the door behind Joey.

They came to an apartment door and Joey proceeded to walk through it. Looking around her she notice it was in disarray. The furniture was knocked over and the pictures that hung on the wall were shattered on the floor.

He led them down a small hallway to a tiny room off to the left.

Switching on the light, Joey motioned for Zoey to walk through.

She looked back at Francis before walking ahead. He was staring at her with a serious expression as he shook his head to go on.

She had to squeeze past Joey to get into the tiny bathroom and as she past him she could have sworn he leaned in to her.

The sharp intake of breath behind her told her that Francis saw it too.

"Oh excuse me. It's a small room and all." He said as she turned to close the door.

She didn't speak as the door shut in his face.

Zoey could hear the two men standing outside the bathroom.

"The other bathroom is in the bedroom through there." She heard Joey tell Francis.

"I don't need it, just thought it would be safer to walk with her myself." Francis sounded on edge as he spoke.

"What, don't think I can take care of a little infected? I saved your ass didn't I?" She liked to have dropped off the commode listening to the way this Joey person spoke to Francis.

"It's not the infected I'm worried about right now……fucker." Francis said in deadly voice.

Joey's laugh was the response to Francis calling him a fucker.

"You know the way back right?" He asked still laughing.

"Yeah."

She heard Joey walking away and Francis cussing softly under his breath.

After washing her hands she opened the door to see a fuming Francis leaning against the wall. He looked at her and sighed.

"I'm gonna kick that punks ass before we leave." He said.

"Hey, don't let him get to you ok." She said walking up to him.

He had his arms crossed over his chest and she gently laid her hands on his to get his attention. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

"That's better." She whispered.

They stood staring at one another in the tiny space for a moment.

"Zoey, about last night. I'm…I'm sorry if I offended you or made you uncomfortable in any way. That wasn't my intention."

Zoey had been waiting to talk to him about this since last night and so she took her chance.

"You offended me when you backed away from me Francis. Did you really not see that I wanted it too?"

He looked at her as if she had just told him that she was an infected. The shock on his face was kind of funny but she didn't dare laugh.

"Zoey?" He said just above a whisper.

"Come on Francis. You're a smart man. I would have thought by now you could see what's in front of your face."

Francis looked at her with understanding but did not look anymore happy about it. Could she have been wrong about his feelings?

He turned and walked a few feet away from her stopping but not turning around.

"Zoey, all my life I have used women. I have fucked them and sent them on their way. Never once did I treat them like they should have been treated. My own brother was a victim to my horrible ways and now you are telling me that you want me? Me, a man who is the lowest of the lows. You have no idea what you're asking Zoey, or who you are asking it from."

She felt the first swells of tears fill her eyes as she watched him beat himself down. "See, even now I'm causing you to cry." He whispered.

"No Francis I'm crying because you don't see what I do. I see a man before me that is just as lost as I am. A man who needs the same thing I do but refuse to take it. We don't have the luxury of learning from the past because it's gone. It's all gone and what that past shows us doesn't matter at all anymore. You and I aren't those people anymore. We haven't been since the moment our world disappeared. Don't turn away from me because you're scared Francis. I'm just as scared but I need you. I need this more than I have ever needed anything in my life." She cried.

She watched him take a step towards her and stop. He was fighting the voice in his head telling him just to walk away. "Please don't cry Zoey." He begged.

"Then stop running Francis. If you don't feel the same way then tell me. Tell me that I'm wrong and that I've read too much into your actions."

"I can't do that." He whispered. "But I can't do this either Zoey. I know you have no other options and it's only natural for you to feel drawn to me, but Zoey you can still have a life with someone better than me."

He was starting to piss her off. No other options? Did he not realize that yes she did but the only person she wanted was him?

"You should be with someone like Louis. He's a good guy Zoey and he would be so much better for you. He's worth something, not some low life white trash like me."

"I don't want Louis." She said angrily. "You hard headed son of a bitch!"

Francis gave her a small smile for her outburst.

"I can't Zoey. I care about you too damn much to ruin you. You know as well as I do that it would come to that. I have no idea how to be the good guy." He said clearing the lump forming in his throat.

"Just leave Francis." She said tearfully as she turned to go back into the bathroom. "I can find my own way back."

She slammed the door and sat crying on the commode. She had just poured her heart out to him and again he rejected her. It wasn't going to happen a third time. He didn't want her fine! She could do without him. So why was she sitting in a bathroom in an abandoned apartment crying her eyes out over him? She let out a frustrated growl as she tried to get her tears under control.

A few moments later Zoey walked out of the bathroom into the tiny hall. Francis was nowhere to be found.

Taking a deep breath she proceeded to walk back into the living room.

As she walked through the darkened room she was startled by a voice at the doorway.

"You know if you were with me I would never leave you alone and crying on top of that."

She let out a gasp as she looked to see Joey standing there blocking her only escape.

**Yea!! That was pretty fun to write!! I know, I know Francis is being hard headed but come one people you really think its gonna be that easy for them? Not while I'm writing it! Soooo we have some new humans on the scene now. Are they good guys or are they bad guys? Bwaaahahahahahaha…guess you'****ll just have to wait and see…..you know what to do to make me happy!! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! **


	12. Moments in the Dark

**A/N: Again I can't begin to thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!!! You guys are so AWESOME!! Like I said before my mind is in overdrive with this story. I see it going all kinds of ways and it makes me excited. We have a while to go yet and with some huge surprises for our favorite survivors!! **

**TetraLink17: Thank you for the review! Yeah Francis is torturing himself and Zoey but I can totally understand his reasons for it. He just needs to go with his heart and leave all of the other bullshit behind him….will he do it?? We'll see!!**

**Dekiller: thank you very much!! So you think the five guys are bad?? Hmm, guess you have to read more to find out!!**

**Lurking Grue: Yes Francis hates that….but you know he's gonna get some…..or is he?? He-he!!**

**OclairbearO: Yeah he's got competition but it may not be what you think. Zoey's getting a little tired of the rejection too. You know he's hard headed so I don't know if he will learn or not!! **

**Stormic09: Francis doesn't really like to share, even though he is being a dumb ass and rejecting Zoey. Of course I think he is looking for any reason to kick Joey's ass! **

**Itachirocks31: Thanks so much!! Yeah the infected went BOOM BOOM DEAD! As for the other humans they might have a skeleton or two in their closet so they will add more tension to the story! Francis is thick headed, but I think it's his way of really showing how much he cares for Zoey. The one good thing he's found and he doesn't want to ruin her like he's ruined everything else. Just my take on it I guess…..We'll see! And by the way I didn't thank you for the review you left for Chapter 10, so here it is….THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU!! **

**Paladin Juul: I don't think you are the only person who doesn't like Joey and the guys!! Francis is about two seconds away from beating his ass…..wonder if he will get his chance??**

**RosesfromDemyx: Thank you so much for leaving a review!!!! I know by know we all want to kick Francis' ass for being stupid, but you gotta love the guy. I hope he sees his mistakes and makes up for them before it's too late!!**

**Violet Jasper: Thanks so much for taking time to review!! I know what you mean about making you want to play the game. I can not tell you how many times I have stopped writing because I have gotten the urge to play!!! LOL! I'm so glad you are enjoying it and that I'm giving you a taste for playing. In my opinion Valve should pay me for that…hahahahaha!! Enjoy your update.**

**Moments in the dark**

Zoey stared at the blocked entrance wandering how in the world to get pass Joey. She could see his predatory smile shine through the darkness of the room.

She could kick herself for asking Francis to leave.

Joey took a few steps in the room as she moved back on instinct.

"Don't be afraid of me Zoey. I'm not going to hurt you." He said still smiling like a mad man. She tried to hide the shaking that assaulted her body.

She tried to remember this in any of her horror movies but nothing came to mind. Was she really about to get raped on top of everything else going on around her?

"J…Joey, what are you doing?" Zoey asked raising her hands in front of her like that would stop him from advancing.

"What that ass hole isn't doing." Zoey really didn't want to think about what he meant by that.

"As I see it, he doesn't care that much about you if he's going to let you just go off by yourself. He left you, so I'm here to do what he isn't."

If it wasn't for the smile that he had on his face, she would have thought that that was nice of him to make sure she was okay. But something was off with the way he was looking at her and Zoey didn't like it one bit.

"_What the fuckin hell made you think I would leave her?" _

Zoey almost cried out in relief as she heard Francis speaking from the tiny hallway. He hadn't left her after all.

She looked to see Francis shaking with such rage that it frightened her. He looked as if he would let loose a fury so hellish it would make the infected look like meek kittens.

Joey's smile faltered a bit as he took in the enraged man slowly walking towards him.

Zoey took that moment, while Joey was distracted, to walk towards Francis.

As she got close to Francis he reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her behind him. She held on to the back of his vest as she looked around him to Joey.

"You don't speak to her. You don't look at her and if you so much as come within five feet of her I will make sure you are begging for your death by the time I'm through with you…..understand me fucker?"

She did not recognize this side of Francis. Maybe this was what he was trying to tell her earlier about who he could really be. She was so glad she wasn't on the receiving end of Francis' anger.

"I swear before we leave here I'm gonna show you what it's like to get your ass kicked boy."

All signs of a smile were gone from Joey's face as he stared at Francis. She saw anger in his eyes and she started to feel very wary of the situation they now found themselves in.

"There are more of us than there are of you." Joey's said dangerously.

Francis let out a laugh as he balled his hands into fists tensing his muscles all over.

"You think I'm scared of a bunch of mamma's boys? I've fucked up a lot more scarier men than you and your Goonie ass fucking friends." Francis said as he took a step towards Joey taking Zoey with him.

"Is there a problem in here?"

Zoey turned towards the door to see Bill and Louis standing there watching the scene with confusion written on their faces.

"Nothing that a good five minutes wouldn't solve." Francis said not looking at him. "Bill do me a favor and take Zoey back to the safe room for me. Joey and I have a few things to take care of don't we?"

Zoey grabbed a hold of Francis tighter. This was really turning bad and she couldn't let Francis do this.

Even if he could take on all five of them, there was only one problem……they had weapons and a lot of them.

"Francis please don't do this." She pleaded with him.

"Zoey go with Bill. I'll be there in a few minutes." He said half turning towards her.

She saw his eyes as they blazed with hatred towards Joey.

"Francis I think you should listen to Zoey." Bill said carefully.

"Shut the fuck up Bill and do what I said. I'm gonna teach this fucker some manners." He said taking another step towards Joey.

"_FRANCIS! I think you should listen to Zoey….right….now!" _Bill said louder.

"Please Francis, come back with me okay. I only feel safe when you're around me." She was trying everything she could to break through the rage that overpowered him. It was as if he couldn't see anything but the kill.

Slowly Francis turned and stared at her. She could see the fog of rage clearing from his eyes and finally she saw the man that she knew.

He turned towards her and put his arm around her shoulder as he led her towards Bill and Louis.

Stopping at the door he turned towards Joey as he spoke. "I swear to you, you make one move towards her and they won't be able to stop me next time."

They walked out not looking back at the man standing in the dark.

"Do I even want to know what that was all about?" Louis said as they walked towards the safe room.

"No!" Zoey and Francis said in unison.

That had been a close call, too close in Zoey's opinion. She went from almost having to force Joey off of her to stopping Francis from killing the man. A part of her felt as though she should have let him kill Joey. They had to get out of here and fast.

Walking back into the safe room all eyes were on them. She noticed the confused faces of the men as if they did not expect Zoey and the others to return. That did not sit well with her at all.

Zoey sat down on her mattress, resting her back on the thick white wall behind her. She was exhausted but didn't think she could sleep right now. Francis sat to her right, closeted to the door, while Louis and Bill sat on her other side.

Francis' muscled arms were crossed over his chest as he sat very close to Zoey. All she had to do was lean her head slightly to the right and she would be laying it on his arms.

All of them looked over as they caught sight of Joey walking back into the room. He glanced over at them with the same evil smile he had shown Zoey in the dark apartment room.

The shutter that ran through her was noticed by everyone. She felt Francis shift to bring more of his massive arms over her. She could feel the tension in his body deepen as he looked at the men who were looking back at them.

Zoey watched as Joey leaned in to whisper something in Paul's ear. Paul smiled as he listened to his friend tell him whatever it was he was telling him. It made Zoey want to slap them both.

Looking over at Francis, Zoey noticed he was staring at her. He had a worried look on his face and she wondered what he was thinking.

She was reminded of the talk that they had had in the hallway after coming out of the bathroom and she suddenly looked away from him. After what just happened Zoey almost forgot about how much she was hurting and the tears threatened to overtake her again.

She really needed to stop being such a girl and grow a fucking backbone! Francis wasn't crying was he?

"I thought you left me." She whispered to him.

Francis sighed as Zoey tried to get herself under control.

"Zoey listen to me, I promise you I would _never_ do that to you." He said with such conviction that she looked back up at him in surprise.

She gave him a small smile as he picked up her hand giving it the lightest touch from his lips.

Zoey laid her head down on Francis' arm as she closed her eyes to rest. She felt the slightest pressure, from his cheek, on top of her head.

'We leave as soon as that horde is gone." She heard Francis say above her.

None of them argued with that. They all were ready to distance themselves from the only survivors that they had met.

"Um…guys, you aren't going to believe this but I got to go to the bathroom now." Louis said in a hushed voice.

She heard Bill groan as Francis mumbled a few cuss words.

"Well if you go we all go okay?" Zoey said from her resting spot.

Francis and Bill agreed with her and they all stood up to move out of the room.

"Hey! Where are you all going?" Joey said.

"To fuck your mother shit brains….don't worry about it." Francis said as they reached the door.

"Ass hole." She heard Joey mumble.

"We have a right to know if you're going to be roaming around this building. You might come back as one of those fuckers." Paul said standing beside Joey.

"I didn't realize grown people had to ask if they could go take a piss." Bill said.

The five men now stood staring daggers into them. For a moment she thought that maybe they would try to stop them from leaving.

"You know the way. Don't go snooping around though. You could easily find yourself turned around in this building and we sure as hell aren't coming after you…..well maybe we will for you Zoey." Joey said grinning.

She felt Francis start moving towards the man as Bill stepped in his path.

"That won't be necessary son." He said.

Bill turned a stern look to Francis. "Keep moving Francis. Let's get some room to breathe for a moment okay."

Francis turned his angered stare from Joey to Bill. It took a moment but finally Francis turned and walked through the door out into the hallway.

"Damn it; just give me two minutes with that prick. My fists are begging for some blood." He said as he grabbed Zoey's hand leading them into the apartment down the hall.

"The bathroom is in here and there is another one in the bedroom this way." Zoey said pointing to the room in front of them.

Louis walked into the tiny bathroom in the hall as Bill made his way to the other one.

Francis was leaning against the wall in front of the bathroom that Louis went in. The space wasn't that big and they were cramped. She turned to go back into the living room not looking to see if Francis was following.

Looking out of the window she noticed the horde was still outside. They had calmed down a bit but were still huddled together in large numbers. She wondered if they would ever separate so they could get the hell away from this place.

She had been standing there a few moments when she heard someone walk into the room. Panic took over as she turned quickly to see who was there. Francis stood at the opposite side of the room staring silently at her.

The look in his eyes confused her a bit.

"Francis…" was all she got out as she watched him cross the room in record time and capture her lips in a kiss. The force of his body knocked them back into the window. She did not feel the impact over the wide rang of sensations flooding her senses.

Zoey was surprised by the soft feel of Francis' lips as he caressed her own as gently as he could. She felt him wrap his large arms around her bringing her as close as humanly possible. He brought his hand to her head grabbing it gently as he pushed her lips tighter to his.

She felt his tongue beg for entrance from her now swollen red lips and she opened them willingly. He groaned softly as he felt her hot wet mouth take him in.

She grabbed his shoulders as he lifted her to wrap her legs around him without breaking the kiss. There was so much built up between them and she slowly felt it melt away releasing with just the simplest thing as a kiss.

He broke away from her lips as she groaned at the lost contact. Before she knew it she was moaning softly as she felt him trail down her chin to her throat with his tongue and light kisses.

She grabbed the back of his neck pushing him further into her throat as he kissed it gently.

Francis found his way back to her lips kissing her more forcefully this time. She was so amazed at how well they both knew exactly what the other needed without speaking a word and this was only a kiss.

All of the stress and all of the tension between them was melting into nothing. Zoey wondered how in the world this beautiful man could think he wasn't worthy of her.

"Shit!" She heard Bill mutter.

She did not dare look up at the two men making their way into the room. Surprisingly she wasn't the least bit embarrassed.

Francis raised his hand and waved at them to go away and Zoey could not help but smile against his lips.

"Whatever." Bill said as he walked out followed by Louis.

"About fucking time." She heard Louis tell Bill.

About fucking time was right! Finally, in this dark room on a night that she thought there was no hope for them Francis proved her wrong.

He slowly lowered Zoey to the ground but didn't break the contact. She knew they would have to come up for air soon but didn't try to make the first move.

Finally Francis moved his lips back only slightly. Kissing her gently one more time he opened his eyes to look at her.

They didn't speak at first. Holding each other in the silence of the room was enough and words would only ruin the moment.

She watched as he lifted his hand and gently caressed her face. Francis ran his finger along her swollen lips and smiled softly at her.

He tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ears touching them lightly. She felt a shudder go through her and his smile widened.

Zoey found her voice as she whispered to him. "Francis, I don't understand. I'm not complaining but…..I thought this wasn't what you wanted."

He sighed as he wrapped her in his arms.

"It wasn't that I didn't want you Zoey. I've wanted you from the moment you walked into that bar….into my life. I just felt that I could never live up to what you deserved. I'm not saying that I can now, but I'm tired of fighting it. I'm tired of making you cry and I'm goddamn tired of hating myself for hurting you."

She reached up and touched his cheek leaving her hand there as she spoke. "Francis, what I deserve is to have a chance to love you."

She watched the crooked grin form on his face as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"You….love me?"

She laughed at his playful voice. Leave it to Francis to joke at a time like this.

"Yes you big ass I do. There I said it!" She said defiantly.

He captured her lips again for another dizzying round of kisses.

As they came up for air for the second time he leaned his forehead on hers.

"I love you too Zoey." He whispered. "I figured out tonight that I would kill for you and not just infected either. If you are worth killing over you are worth loving as well." He said as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Right back at ya!" She said grinning.

"It….it won't be easy Zoey. I'm not a very romantic person. I can be an ass at times and I'm sure you are gonna want to rip me to pieces every now and then, but if….if you will have me I'm yours."

"I do Francis. I know you aren't prince charming. That is not what I want because I've had them all my life and it leads to nothing but disappointment."

"Would you settle for an old man seeing as I'm thirteen years older than you?"

Zoey thought about that. He was thirty-two but all she felt was that age didn't matter in this world anymore. There were only two types of people and it certainly wasn't young and old. It was the humans and the infected and age didn't matter in either types.

"I'll just look at it like I have an experienced man." She said wagging her eyebrows.

Zoey started laughing as she heard Francis groan loudly.

"You really don't want to go there right now darlin unless you want me to show you how experienced I really am."

Zoey turned beet red and hid her smiling face in Francis' shirt.

"Maybe one day." She whispered.

"You can count on it." He said loudly.

As much as she hated to break the connection with Francis, she knew that Bill and Louis were waiting.

She looked up apologetically at Francis.

"I know I know. Let 's go." He said as he grabbed her hand to walk out the apartment door.

Bill and Louis looked at them trying to hide the teasing that was just about to surface.

Francis' face became a hard mask as he looked at Bill.

"If you are thinking of using the words pansy or softy in a sentence just know that I'll kick your old ass all the way down this hall and you too preppy." He said pointing to the two men who were now bent over laughing.

Zoey couldn't help but join in the laughter. She knew that Francis wasn't going to be able to live this down for a while to come. She kind of felt sorry for him but she would make it up to him.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up. Just remember who's gonna be snuggled up to a fine woman from now on. Laugh about that fuckers!!" He said as he and Zoey passed them headed back to the safe room.

As they entered the room the great feeling she was having disappeared only to be replaced with tension.

She was getting really tired of dealing with the stares whenever she was around the five men. Joey was lying on his mattress as they walked towards the opposite side of the room. She didn't even make eye contact with him but felt his eyes boring in to her.

Francis was trying to reassure her that she was safe by squeezing her hand. She looked up to see him smile at her. She returned the smile with one of her own, but it did not quite reach her eyes.

Reaching her mattress she gladly laid down upon it. She felt Francis lay down behind her wrapping her in his arms. She pulled the covers over them as they got into a comfortable spoon position. Again she was amazed at how well their bodies fit together.

She had to hold back a gasp as she felt Francis slowly kissing the back of her neck, teasing her with his tongue. He ran his hand up and down her goose fleshed arm adding to the wonderful sensation of his kisses.

She bucked into him without thinking and heard him growl softly in her ear.

"Zoey you are really testing my resolve here." He whispered in her ear as he nibbled on it softly.

"I'm testing your resolve?" She said gasping as she felt his hand grab her hips bringing her back towards him as much as possible.

"Yes…my….holy hell….resolve!" He moaned.

His hand found its way to the bottom of her hoodie and white tank top. He lifted it just enough to find the soft flesh of her stomach. She reached her hand behind his neck, as she closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of his hand gently roaming around her skin.

Reaching around, she kissed him passionately. Zoey couldn't get enough of him. She was like a child that had found ice cream for the first time. One taste was not enough.

Taking his hand off her stomach and fixing her shirt back he wrapped his arm around her again.

She heard him take one long breath to get a hold of his desires before he spoke.

"Zoey, one day soon I'll make love to you. This isn't the place I want to experience that with you." He whispered in her ear.

Smiling, she turned just enough to look at him.

"Promise?" She asked softly.

Before he could answer her, she was blinded by darkness.

Looking around frantically Zoey realized she couldn't see anything. She felt Francis jump up from the mattress bringing her with him.

He put her behind him, to where her back was to the wall, as he stood protectively in front of her.

She heard Bill and Louis jump up and feel their way over to where she and Francis stood.

The five men were walking around frantically talking in high pitched voices from being caught off guard.

"Holy fuck…....What happened to the power?" Daniel said in a panicked voice.

All Zoey could think, in that moment, was how easy it would be to get separated from Francis and mistakenly find her way into the lion's den of the five men.

"_Dear God!" _She whispered as their situation struck Zoey straight in the face.

**Well it looks like Francis had a change of heart!! Well there you go people, Francis decided to get his woman. But of course it's not all happy endings, birds chirping and shit like that. Just FYI I have learned that writing this story listening to my selection of songs is kick ass!! The music gives me inspiration that I didn't know was there before. So if you are writing a story try doing it listening to some good music….it's crazy how much it helps with ideas. Please REVIEW!! You see that button over there just calling your name! Just punch it and drop me a few lines!! Till next time. **


	13. Faces of Evil

_**A/N: Okay, I'm getting a late start on this chapter. Just got finished watching my basketball team….Mississippi State win the SEC Championship, so I'm pretty damned pumped right now! I found this awesome song by a group named Elbow…it's the song in one of the Left 4 Dead TV spots….gave me great inspiration! **_

_**OclairbearO: Yes finally a man with a brain…Ha-ha….yeah he doesn't like anyone messing with Zoey.**_

_**RosesfromDemyx: Ha-ha….He is only a softy towards Zoey, everyone else he will kick their asses if he has to! Glad you liked it.**_

_**Zhadist: Thank you so much for the review! Yeah Bill has great timing!! I think he just does it to fuck with Francis. He-he I love Bill.**_

_**AlleFreya: I'm sooo glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing!! Doesn't Francis just make you melt! He is everything in one package…..a bad ass but also a guy that will do anything to protect Zoey!! Love him. **_

_**Dekiller: Neither did I actually. I started writing the story and just felt it was the right time. It was unexpected and soooo what Francis would do. I agree with you about the cliff hangers but if I wrote everything out there would be nothing to look forward to!!!**_

_**TetraLink17: I'm thrilled that I could make your day!! It helps me get excited about writing when I know people are reading and waiting on the next chapter. Congrats on the crowned achievement by the way!! I'm honored that the story made you happier than that…..that's awesome!! As for Francis killing for Zoey it just all depends on if Joey and the gang can behave themselves….I think anything he does will set Francis off at this point.**_

_**itachirocks31: I know….Francis is actually being smart for once!! Good for him. As for them getting a breather…hahahahaha!! What's that?? Is there such a thing as a breather in Left 4 Dead? They can have there breather when they die! Thanks for the review and glad you liked it!**_

_**Faces of Evil**_

"_Everyone just calm the hell down. You really didn't think the power would last forever did you? _

_Zoey turned in the direction of Bill as what he said sunk in. She had not even thought about the power going dead. This was the worst timing for it to happen now. _

_She let go of Francis' shirt and bent down feeling around blindly for the backpacks. They had to be somewhere near them but she couldn't remember where. _

_Crawling to her right a little she felt the fabric of the backpacks and opened the one in her hand. She felt around till she recognized what she was after._

_Zoey pulled out the flashlight and turned it on sending rays of light out into the darkened room. _

_She showed the flashlight around the room to see where everyone was standing. The five guys were huddled in a corner, covering their eyes, as the light blinded them. _

_Francis came up beside her and searched in the backpack for the other flashlights and handed them around to Bill and Louis._

"_That scared the shit out of me." Daniel said as he walked back to the table and sat heavily on the top of it. _

"_Yeah, no shit! I thought it was one of those damn bosses." Paul said._

"_Bosses?" Louis asked confused._

"_Yeah that's what we started calling the ones that are unique. They are totally different from the dumb ass infected. Its like some of them evolved or some shit like that." Tom, the older man said._

"_Evolved, how?" Francis asked._

"_Well you got the regular infected like the ones chasing you all earlier. Then you have ones that actually can think. They have skills that will tear your ass up. For instance the hunter, that's what we call it because it pounces on its prey and tears into them with no mercy. I've seen only one and he ripped the guy apart."_

_Zoey knew exactly who Tom was talking about. She had seen the hunter on the T.V., in her dreams and attacking Francis. _

"_There's the smoker….affectionately called smoker because of his rattled cough and when you shoot it, the damn thing bursts into a puff of god awful smoke. Don't let that fucker get ya though. He grabs you with his damn tongue and pulls ya away from everyone else."_

_Zoey felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered all too well what a smoker could do. She thought she was a dead person when she was grabbed. _

_Francis put his arm around Zoey, seeing her visibly shaken remembering the incident. _

"_I can tell you've run into them." Nathan said to Zoey._

"_Y.…yes, we had a close call" She said low._

_Zoey allowed Francis to take her back to the mattress. _

"_Hey, get some sleep okay. I'm not really tired so it'll be safe." Francis said caressing her cheek. _

_She was so tired but didn't know if she could get any sleep here. _

_Zoey watched Francis sit down on the mattress as he pulled her down, laying her head in his lap. He grabbed the covers and brought them up to her as she slowly drifted to sleep._

_The first thing she was aware of, as she came to, was the fact that her head wasn't in Francis' lap anymore. In fact she was aware that Francis wasn't anywhere around her. _

_She could hear voices but they were foggy in her semi unconscious state. _

_Zoey opened her eyes blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from them. She noticed that she wasn't in the safe room anymore. The apartment that they used for the restrooms greeted her as she came fully awake._

_She jumped to her feet and turned around expecting to have to fight her way out of this room. _

_Zoey's eyes looked around rapidly at her surroundings trying to find the best way to escape. _

_There was no danger around. Francis, Louis and Bill stood in the kitchen talking and didn't seem to notice her panicking. _

_Her body went rigid as she took a deep breath to steady herself. She really wasn't sure how many more times her heart would be able to handle waking up like that. It seemed as though every time she woke up she was freaking out about something. _

_Zoey slowly sat back down on the couch and rubbed her shaking legs. _

"_Hey." She looked up to see Francis walking towards her speaking softly._

"_Hey." She whispered in response. Her voice wasn't strong enough to sound anything more like a whisper. _

_He came and sat down beside her putting his arm over her shoulder, bringing her to lean on him._

"_Sorry if you were startled. We had to use the bathroom and didn't want to wake you." He said._

"_I'm ok, just a little off kilter."_

"_Well the good news is the horde of infected are gone so we should be able to leave as soon as possible." He said smiling at her._

_That was very good news to her. She was ready to get as far away from these strange men as she could. _

"_Zoey we found some breakfast if you're hungry. We got pop tarts, pop tarts and oh look here more pop tarts." Louis said holding up the boxes for her to see. _

_She was starving so she wouldn't be picky right now._

_Standing up, she and Francis walked to the kitchen to grab a pop tart. _

_It really wasn't that bad. She loved pop tarts, even though this one was pretty old. _

_Bill sat some bottled water down beside her as she finished the last bite of her breakfast. _

"_I'm going to the bathroom." Zoey said standing up and walking towards the hall. _

_She closed the door and emptied her full bladder. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror again. She didn't really look any better than she had a couple of days ago but the bags under her eyes were not as visible. _

_Taking the rubber band out of her hair she ran her fingers through her matted hair. She was in need of a hairbrush in the worst way. _

_For a moment Zoey wondered what Francis saw in her. She really didn't think she was that attractive. Her face, hair, and clothing were a mess and there was no telling how bad she stunk right now. She was almost embarrassed to walk back out to the guys. _

"_Shit." She said as she dropped her rubber band on the floor. _

_Letting out a sign, she bent down to get it when something caught her eye._

_In front of her on the floor was a woman's gold necklace. _

_Zoey picked the light weight chain up to study it and its heart shaped locket. On the back of the heart was a woman's name. _

"_Valerie." Zoey said out loud to herself._

_Turning it over in her hand, she noticed that it had a latch. She pressed it and peered inside to see two pictures on each side of the locket. _

_The first picture was of a woman with dark hair like her own. She was laughing at something that, she assumed, the person taking the picture had said. Judging by how the woman was laughing it must have been funny. _

_She turned her eyes to the second picture and was surprised to recognize the face. It caught her off guard for a moment but she definitely recognized Joey smiling back at her. _

_The smile on his face was nothing like he gave her the night before. This smile actually looked half way human and decent. _

_Zoey looked back and forth at the pictures and wondered who Valerie was and where she was at. Why was so not with Joey if they were a couple? _

_He could have lost her and that would explain his odd behavior towards her. The woman sort of resembled Zoey who had dark hair and high cheek bones as she did. _

_There was a knock at the door and Zoey jumped back in surprise. Closing her eyes, she shook her head as she slowly stood to her feet. _

"_I'll be right out." She called._

"_Just checking on you. You ok?" Francis' voice called through the door._

_She reached for the door and opened it. He was standing there watching her with concern. _

_Zoey gave him a reassuring smile as she wrapped her arms around him. _

_He slowly bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. She found that she could get rather used to kissing this man._

_She took a deep breathe after Francis broke the kiss. _

"_So you still want to put up with me?" He asked her teasingly._

_She chuckled lightly as she stood on the tips of her toes and whispered in his ear._

"_More than you know." _

_She felt him shutter and grab her tighter._

_He kissed her again with eagerness and it made her feel dizzy. _

_She groaned again as he cut the kiss off._

"_Why do you always do that?" She said whining._

_It was Francis' turn to chuckle._

"_Because darlin, if I don't stop myself now….I won't be able to stop at all." He said looking at her intensely._

"_Who asked you to stop?" She said seductively._

"_Zooooooey!" He said miserably, dragging out her name._

_She laughed at his poor attempt to look mad because she was teasing his self preservation. _

_She turned to walk back to where Bill and Louis were waiting._

"_Damn!" She heard Francis exclaim softly._

_Turning her head, she saw that his eyes were staring directly at her ass. _

"_You think my ass looks good in these jean now…....you ought to see it without the jeans on!" She said winking at him._

"_Holy hell!" He said loudly as he stopped in his tracks._

_To think that such a tiny woman could have such an effect on a bulky man like Francis stunned Zoey every time she thought about it. The bigger realization was that she was the one with that kind of power. It just blew her away._

_Coming into the living room Zoey stopped. _

_Joey and his goons were standing in the doorway of the apartment. _

_Francis slowly walked to stand in front of Zoey with a hard look on his face._

_Looking over at Bill and Louis she noticed their tense faces. _

_Something had gone down while she and Francis were in the bathroom._

"_Is there a problem guys?" Francis asked._

_Joey looked past Francis straight to Zoey. She averted her eyes away from his stare and looked at Francis' back. _

_She felt Francis reach back and grab her hand walking her over to where Bill and Louis stood beside the window. _

_Zoey felt as though they were in a stand off. The five guys stood facing them, most of who were looking at her. _

"_You know I'm getting about fuckin tired of all you staring daggers at her. She isn't any of your concern, so do you mind looking somewhere else?" Francis said angrily._

"_Now that the horde is gone we will be on our way. Thank you for your help and good luck guys." Bill said trying to eliminate the escalating situation._

"_We want to come with you." Joey said finally looking away from Zoey to Bill._

"_What the fuck ever!" Francis said letting out a humorless laugh._

"_Your chances with us will be better ass hole. Don't you realize that?"_

"_Yeah, but the chance that I kill you along the way is higher."_

_Zoey watched as Joey's enraged face grew ten shades of purple. He was about to explode and she was afraid that it wouldn't be good for them. They all stood in the way of getting out of this hell hole. _

"_Fine! You can leave……but she stays." Joey said pointing at Zoey._

_Zoey felt her blood drain from her face and her heart racing ninety to nothing. This was what she was afraid would happen._

"_You know that isn't going to happen." Louis spoke._

"_We'll give you whatever you want. We have guns, ammo, food….anything you need it's yours. Just give us the girl and you can be on your way without any harm." Paul said._

"_I'll take my chances with being harmed before I turn her over to a bunch of lunatics." Francis said gritting his teeth. _

_Joey's smile was as cold as ice as he looked at Francis. Zoey was frantically trying to think of a way out of this. _

_Before she could think of anything, Bill, Louis and Francis pulled their guns out, pointing them in the direction of the men. _

_She reached for her pistols, following the guys lead. _

_She couldn't help the gun from shaking in her hands. _

_The five men stood their ground without the slightest flinch. Either they knew something that Zoey didn't or they were crazy enough not to care if they died or not. _

_Zoey watched as one of the men from the back walked towards Joey. He was smiling the same evil smile that Joey was as he stood beside him._

_Looking down to his hand, Zoey's breath caught in her throat. 'Oh this is bad…..this is really, really bad.' Zoey said to herself._

_She watched as the man picked his hand up waving the small device at them….taunting them with it._

"_Fuck." She heard Francis whisper._

_Zoey did not dare take her eyes off of the thing in the man's hand to look at her comrades. She was freaking out at the moment and was afraid to see the same look on the other's faces._

"_Now we tried to do this the easy way, but you obviously wanted to make it hard for yourselves. You have no idea what a commodity you have in her. If you haven't heard, a woman is a scarce thing these days. Seeing as you have one, you are one of the lucky ones……until now."_

_Zoey swallowed hard. Oh this was definitely bad. She felt Francis backing her up against the window. For the first time since she had met him, he looked at a loss for what to do. _

"_You see the last woman we had really didn't work out. She wasn't up to the task of keeping us happy." The smile on Joey's face was one of utter evil. My God what did he mean by that?_

"_Victoria." Zoey said wide eyed._

_Joey looked at her confused. "How did you know?" He asked calmly._

_She pulled out the locket from her pants pocket and threw it at him._

_He caught it without a problem. He opened it and she watched as he smiled bitterly._

"_Yes, Victoria. She was my girlfriend and a whore even before the end of the world. It was only fitting that I shared her don't you think?" He said without looking up from the necklace._

_Zoey felt sick to her stomach. If he could do that to his own girlfriend then there was no moral fiber in him to stop from hurting her as well._

"_Now, if you would be so kind as to put your guns on the floor and kick them over towards us please." Joey said in a chipper voice._

_Zoey stared at a man who had lost his mind. She didn't know if he was always like this or if it was a result from the trauma of going through an apocalypse._

_She now realized that there was nothing separating humans from infected. They were one in the same, both horrible beyond understanding with no care for their fellow man. Joey and this roaches were willing to kill the only other humans they had met to get their hands on a woman. Zoey just couldn't understand it._

"_You must need proof that I'll use this." Tom said._

_Zoey watched him lift the device's protected cover and press the on button. The red light from the top of the pipe bomb flashed in the darkness of the room. The beeping bounced off the wall, sounding loud in Zoey's ears._

"_We aren't afraid to die. If you think we care that we will be blown away as well, then take a chance…..shoot us." Joey taunted. _

_Louis was the first to lower his gun. She watched him glance at her with a helpless expression. Bill and Zoey followed Louis' lead and kicked their guns over to the group of men._

_Francis stood his ground, cocking his shotgun aimed right at Joey's forehead. _

"_Francis, put the gun down." Zoey said through tears._

_He didn't seem to hear her. His attention was on the men making their lives worse than what it already was._

"_Five…..four….three…" Joey counted down slowly._

"_MOTHERFUCKER!" _Francis screamed as he threw his shotgun down at the men's feet.

Paul walked up and gathered their guns, turning to take them back to the safe room.

"Zoey….come here." Joey said grinning.

"Fuck you motherfucker!" Francis' low deadly voice barely registered in her mind.

There was no way out of this. She was trapped and the guys were in serious fucking trouble.

She had one of two choices, either tell them to go to hell and be blown to bits along with Francis, Bill and Louis, or she could walk over there with those men and pray to God that the guys find a way to survive and come get her.

Tears were streaming down her face as she was forced to make a choice between the lesser of two evils.

"Zoey we don't have all day." Joey said impatiently.

The beeping of the pipe bomb was making her go crazy. She couldn't think straight as her head was pounding with every beep.

Francis' hold on her had not let up. Even if she wanted to move, she could never get past his strong body.

It wasn't fair! He had just told her how he felt and now they would be torn apart yet again…..maybe for good.

"_For Christ sakes men we are human beings. This is no better than what those things, out there, are doing to us! You mean to tell me that you all are no better than they are?" _Bill screamed.

It did no good to reason with these men. They had lost their humanity a long time ago. They did not care what happened, even to each other.

"Francis move." Zoey tearfully whispered.

She felt him start to shake as he realized what she was saying. He turned his head to look at her and she saw the horror in his eyes.

"_No!" _He said frantically.

She heard Joey let out a harsh breath and nod his head at Tom who activated the bomb.

"_NO! Oh God Joey no. Okay, okay I'm coming." _Zoey screamed_._

She tried to wiggle her way out of Francis' grip but he held firm.

"_Francis please let me go. Save yourself and the others before it's too late." _She begged him.

"_Shut the fuck up Zoey. I'm not gonna do that!" _He said angrily. She wasn't hurt by his harsh words because she knew he was hurting. He was the type of guy that was always in control and now he had to stand there and let her walk into the hands of evil.

He didn't understand that they were all fixing to be blown to pieces, and if he did understand….he didn't care.

"If you don't want to be pulling bits of her brain off of your shirt….you'll let go of her now."

Zoey slowly turned to see Joey holding a gun aimed at her head.

She watched the dazed, horrified face of Francis turn to see the gun and where it was pointed.

Slowly, she felt his grip, on her, loosen. He turned to face her, pain etched in ever crevice of face.

"_Zoey!" _He whispered as she backed away from him, not taking her eyes away from his for a minute.

"I love you." She whispered to him.

She felt a hand roughly grab her and pull her back against him.

"You can leave now. In fact we will walk you out." Joey said smiling.

Zoey felt herself being pushed out the door by Nathan as they all gathered in the hall.

She watched helplessly as Francis, Bill and Louis walked ahead of them to the stairs.

"You try anything and I mean anything at all, I'll put a bullet through her head understand?" Joey said to them.

Francis turned and watched her the whole way down the stairs until they reached the outside door.

"I swear to you motherfucker, I'm gonna kill you slowly!" Francis said deathly.

She heard Joey laughing and looked over to see him shaking his head. She would be the one to kill him first chance she got! She was sure of that.

Zoey looked back at Francis, Bill, and Louis…..her family. All of them were looking at her desperately.

"_Survive!" _She whispered to them.

"Move." Joey said as they opened the door to the outside.

Zoey let out a relieved sigh as she saw they alleyway was empty. At least they had a chance to get to safety. They would be okay as long as they headed for the hospital.

Her comrades moved outside and turned to look back in at Zoey and her captors.

"Here's a parting gift from us to you." Joey said as he threw out what looked to be like some homemade alarm.

As she heard the door close, locking out her family, she watched Joey pull a remote control device out of his shirt.

Zoey's eyes widened as she realized what he was doing, but before she could fully wrap her brain around it, she heard the piercing sound of the alarm outside.

"_NOOOO!" _She screamed in agony as she reached for the door.

Her fingers only skimmed the door handle as she felt herself being pulled back.

Anguish flooded her system and she screamed out for Francis, Bill and Louis.

They turned her around and pushed her back up the stairs.

All of them froze as they heard the sound of the screaming horde making their way to the alarm that disturbed their nightmares, but that wasn't the sound that made her totally fall apart. It was the sound of Francis banging on the door to get back in.

Zoey snapped. She wasn't going to let this happen. Bringing her elbow up, she hit Nathan, as hard as she could, in the nose sending blood squirting everywhere.

He let go of her, reaching for his broken nose, long enough for her to get away from him.

She ran as hard as she could down the stairs towards the door where her loved ones were.

She was almost there when she felt a hand push her. Loosing her balance she started to fall the rest of the way down the steps.

Coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, she cried out in pain.

Turning over on her stomach she started slowly crawling her way to the door.

She felt a sharp pain take her breath as Nathan's foot made contact with her side. He reached down and pulled Zoey up by the hair.

"You're gonna pay for that bitch!" He spat.

_**OHHHHH!! They are in some serious shit now! That was actually a fun chapter to write. I had writer's block for a minute but when I went to write it….it all just came out! Hope you enjoyed it and PLEASE leave me a review! You don't know how much I love and appreciate them. Hope everyone has a great night. I'm going to start on the next chapter but I don't think it will be done until tomorrow! REVIEW!!!!!!!**_


	14. Payback is a Bitch

**A/N: Okay, you guys hella rock!! Thank you so much for the reviews. I was so excited to read how much you guys are in to this story! So our favorite survivors are in some deep doo doo! I haven't done this before but….as I told you before I love to listen to music as I'm writing. It gives me lots of inspiration. I just had to let y'all (yes I'm southern..LOL) that the song that is gonna help me write this chapter is called Apocalypse Please by Muse. Fitting title don't you think? Anyways, if you haven't heard it you need to….bad ass song and it really fit's the story well. **

**TetraLink17: Awe…don't cry! Joey and his freaks are so mean aren't they? Thank you for taking an interest in this story! Your comments are awesome!! As for Francis, Bill and Louis….guess you're just gonna have to read on (evil laugh)**

**Omniaki78: Thanks for pointing out that mistake….The girlfriends name is Valerie. Where Victoria came from I have noooo clue! Just overlook that part…LOL!**

**Itachirocks31: Yeah Joey and is friends are dicks! All I have to say is they better hope Francis, Bill and Louis get killed by the horde because if they survive that…..OH HELL!! I know, Zoey just can't get a break….but it's helping her to become a strong person. Thanks for the review!**

**Zhadist: Ha-ha I was cussing as well. When I typed it down and read it back I was like what the **! Is these guys' problems. These guys deserve a lot more than pain!! Thanks for the review.**

**Dekiller: Awe. I'm afraid that if I don't leave it making you want me, you won't come back!! Yes I do leave y'all with cliff hangers but I try to update as fast as possible so I hope I make up for it. Thank you for taking the time to read it while you are busy with your own story! **

**Kaitlynvoncat: Thank you so much for taking the time to read it!! I'm honored you would loose sleep because of reading it!! LOL! I'm having a blast writing it, and I get blown away at some of the things I think up for it. I can't wait to share it will y'all.**

**Violet Jasper: Please don't die yet, the story isn't over with!!!! And you are my favorite person for reading the story!! I try to update as frequently as possible because of all the ideas I have….I don't want to forget anything!! Thanks so much for the review**

**OclairbearO: Yes the situation is dire!! They better think of something fast otherwise they are zombie food and Zoey is in big trouble. We will see what happens. Thanks for the review.**

**Stormic09: LMAO…holly crap man. You made me think for a minute that my computer had messed up. When I saw all those AGAINS I was thinking dang virus!! Thanks so much for all the reviews you give me, whether they are repetitive or something new, it's all appreciated!!**

**Littlesparks2: Wow, thanks so much for the review!! To know you don't leave reviews very much makes me feel truly honored. I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. This is the first story I have every written since my Junior English Research paper in high school 10 years ago…LOL. I have always wanted to write. Thanks for taking the time to read it!!**

**Payback is a Bitch**

Nathan dragged Zoey up the stairs by her hair as she screamed out in pain. She felt helpless as she heard the beating on the door end.

The horde was growing louder as they made their way closer to the door and she couldn't bring herself to imagine what was happening to Francis, Bill and Louis.

She had tried desperately to get to them and had failed. The only family she had was now fighting for their lives with no weapons to fight with.

The harder Zoey tried to fight Nathan, the stronger his hold became. If it meant getting to the guys in time she would risk loosing a good chunk of her hair.

Her side was killing her where he had kicked her but she fought through it.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Zoey pushed back against him hoping to bring him crashing down the stairs. He must have seen it coming because he planted his fee just in the right time to handle the blow.

She would bite, scratch, punch or kick to get away from this lunatic.

Zoey found her window of opportunity as he let go of her hair and brought his arm down around her throat.

With everything she had, she grabbed his arm with both hands and leaned forward. She was a good one hundred and thirteen pounds wet, yet with all of her adrenaline and the strong will to get to the guys she brought the big man over her body slamming him hard onto the concrete floor.

She heard his head smack hard as she turned to run back down the stairs.

Taking two at a time she jumped to the bottom of the stairs almost losing her balance. She was able to stop her momentum against the wall in front of her and turned towards the door.

As she touched the door handle to turn it, she felt a blinding blow to the back of the head. It dropped her to the floor instantly. The last thing she remembered before going unconscious was the smell of Joey's hot breath on her face.

Pounding, that was Zoey's first thought as she came to. She couldn't open her eyes yet because of the massive headache that invaded her. It was like someone had taken her head and stomped on it repeatedly.

Zoey could tell that she was lying on her side and that her hands were tied up behind her. Voices could be heard in the background of her splitting head but she dare not open her eyes just yet.

Trying to focus on what was being said; Zoey realized that she had hurt Nathan pretty bad. To add to his already broken nose, she had given him a concussion. If it wasn't for the fact that she didn't want them to know she was awake she would have smiled triumphantly.

Francis would be so proud of her.

At the thought of his name a raging anguish hit her hard. She had to do everything possible not to cry out from the feeling of loss she now felt.

Zoey had no idea how much time had gone by since she was out, but the fact that she was still in the hands of these mad men told her they had not found a way back in.

She felt such loss that it took her breath away. First she had to deal with the loss of her real family and that almost did her in, yet she had found a whole new family who filled the whole in her heart that her parents and brother had left.

The saddest part was that it was at the hands of human beings and not at the hands of whom she thought was the true enemy. Zoey felt that the infected was a human's true self. They, the humans, were the ones who were the real enemy. They hid behind facades and lies and at the end of it all nothing mattered but what their selfish black hearts wanted.

The three best men she had ever known were thrown into the lion's den by a sadistic group of humans.

Zoey was ashamed to be the same species as they were.

She didn't know how long she had been crying but she could feel the tears falling in her hair. Any minute she would be seen and the show would be up.

As if on cue she heard a sing song voice call out to her.

"Wake up Zoey!" Tom said.

Zoey continued to lay there as the tears rushed out. She would not give this ass holes the satisfaction of seeing the fear in her eyes.

"Is that bitch awake?" She heard Nathan's angered voice call out.

Her breathing sped up as she heard someone walking towards her. She knew exactly who it was without looking and didn't have the slightest clue of what Nathan would do to her. All she knew was that she was going to pay for the damage she did to him.

Rough hands grabbed her by the hair again and pulled her up none to gently.

Zoey finally couldn't hold it in any longer and cried out as Nathan slammed her against the wall. Her arms and hands were crushed beneath her as he pushed on her with his body.

"You fucking bitch. Look what you did to my nose." He said with malice.

She opened her wet, swollen eyes to look upon the damage that was Nathan's nose. It had grown twice its normal size, the nostrils looking inhuman as they stretched out as far as they possibly could go. Blood oozed out, dripping onto his white t-shirt.

"You were ugly before so no harm done." She said viscously.

The blow from Nathan's fist was worse than his foot. Before she knew it, she was seeing white spots in the darkened room. She felt all the blood rush into her cheek where his fist made contact.

Before she could get a hold of her ringing head there was a blow from the other side. Stumbling to the floor, she felt him bend down and pull her back up.

"What was that whore?" She whispered in her rapidly swelling face.

Zoey decided that it was better for her to just remain silent. The last thing she wanted was for her nose to look like he's or anything for that matter.

She could already start to feel her left eye swelling. Her arms were in agony and her hands no longer had feeling him them.

Nathan only stood there staring at her with hate. She could see his eyes so clearly. He cared no more for her than he did for the smallest insect. He would squash her before this night was over with she was sure of it.

"Joey, I want my turn with her." He said smiling sadistically at her.

She looked at him in horror.

Zoey would gladly die before she let this mongrel touch her.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Joey come into view watching her closely.

"Why? So you could beat her to death before any of the rest of us gets our chance with her? Get real Nathan." He said laughing.

"She owes me damn it." Nathan yelled.

"I said No!" Joey said in a warning voice.

The rage inside of Nathan was barely reigned in as he punched Zoey in the stomach. She gasped out in pain and surprise as she slowly slid down the wall.

Zoey wrapped herself in a fetal position as she tried to get a breath. 'God how much more can my body take.' She asked herself.

Joey made his way slowly over to where Zoey laid. She watched his every move, like a snake going in for the kill. The smile that she had come to hate was plastered on the bastard's face as he knelt beside her.

"Zoey, Zoey, Zoey! Why did you have to go and make Nathan mad? That was a really big mistake." He said smiling.

"You know, Valerie made the same mistake and it cost her a finger. I would hate to see you lose anything. You are too beautiful for that." He said as he gently caressed her face.

Zoey yanked out of his grasp and looked away from him.

"Play hard to get…..I like that." He whispered.

She felt the bile rise in her throat as she thought of him touching her.

He stared at her for a few moments before he stood up to address his roaches.

"Nobody touch her until I say so. Don't worry, everyone will have their turn."

What was she, some fucking animal at a zoo?

Looking around, Zoey noticed the pipe bomb sitting on the table not five feet from her. If she could just get to it and activate it she would gladly blow her and these ass holes away.

A plan formed in her head. They all would have to go to sleep sometime and that would be the time to strike. She only hoped it was before they all had a turn raping her.

"Paul, come here." Joey called.

The young man walked slowly to stand beside Joey. She noticed how wary he looked as if all of this bothered him. Hope started to build in her heart.

"Since you are the youngest and still a virgin, I want you to have her first." Joey said proudly.

It sickened her how easily he talked about raping her as if it was a conversation about the weather.

"Joey, I don't know if I can do this." He said shyly.

Joey's face became angered. "You aren't having second thoughts about what we did are ya Pauly boy? We can easily arrange for you to join the other guys." He said grabbing the back of Paul's neck.

The boy stood there scared shitless. He turned his scared eyes towards her and she almost felt sorry for the son of a bitch…..almost.

"N…n…no Joey. You don't have to do that. I…I'll do what you want." He stuttered.

Paul turned back towards Zoey, bending down to grab her by the arms. The other's cheered him on as he walked her to the apartment down the hall.

She heard someone behind them and turned to see Tom and Daniel following them.

They came to the door of the apartment that had been the last place she had kissed Francis. The thought of him sent a wave of sorrow through her and she felt the tears flow again.

Paul led her into the back bedroom and slowly closed the door behind him. It was pitch dark, until the stream of light from Paul's flashlight lit up the room.

He walked her to the bed and turned her around towards him. Softly he pushed her back until she sat on the bed facing him.

She was in shock. This just couldn't be happening like this.

Zoey had never experienced sex before. She prided herself in waiting until she felt it was right and with the right person. Every part of her being screamed that this should have been Francis instead of Paul. He was the one who deserved to have her for the first time.

"Please." She whispered as Paul lay on top of her.

He started kissing her face and throat. He reached down between them to unfasten her pants and his as well. She let out a startled cry, feeling his hands so close to her.

It was all wrong, every bit of it.

Paul's hands weren't his hands. Paul's kisses weren't his kisses. Paul's body wasn't his body.

Zoey heard Francis' voice, in her head, screaming at her to fight back. If she could take on Nathan, she could take on this scrawny kid.

Just as she was ready to fight, she felt the weight of his body lift off of her. Paul sat up on the bed with a large sigh. She watched as he put his hands over his face.

"I can't do it." He said in a muffled whisper.

She was stunned. Could it be that finally some good had come her way? He looked so tortured like he believed this was wrong.

"Paul?" She said in a questioning voice.

"I'm not like them okay. This is wrong! This is so fucking wrong." He said in agony.

Excitement built inside of her almost overflowing. Could it be that maybe she had found one of them that would help her.

"P…Paul please listen to me okay. You have to help me get out of here." She begged.

"I can't do that Zoey." He said looking miserably at her.

"Yes you can! Paul, you got to help me."

"He will kill you and me both. You don't fuck with Joey or what is his. He has run this show from day one and, my God, what he did to his on girlfriend. We could never get two feet out of the door before they blew our heads of." He said panicking.

She could see the battle going on in his eyes. He wanted to help her but he was scared of what would happen in doing that. She had to find some way of convincing him.

"If you have any shred of decency you will help me. Paul, don't let them kill me like they killed my friends. Prove to me and yourself that you aren't a killer like them." She said desperately.

"My parents would hate me right now." He said heartbreakingly.

"Then make them proud Paul."

He slowly turned to look at her and she could see the misery through the tears that were now in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Zoey. I can't."

She felt anger overtake her. Here he was realizing that he was doing something horrible yet he wasn't willing to change it.

"Fuck you Paul. You are no different from Joey and the rest of them. You killed my friends as much as they did you fucking ass hole." Zoey said angrily.

His stunned face stared at her. He was so blindsided by her fury that he stood up and backed slowly away from her.

"When I get out of this, I'm going to kill you like I will kill the rest of them." She whispered.

"You won't get out of this Zoey." He said calmly.

Turning towards the door, he opened and called for Tom and Daniel.

She watched the lights from their flashlights bounce around with the motion of their walking.

They came to the entrance of the door with broad smiles on their faces, patting Paul on the back.

He shrugged their hands off of his shoulders and turned back to look at Zoey. She saw for just a moment the hatred he had for himself for being the coward that he was.

"He didn't fuck you too hard to where you can't walk did he?" Tom said laughing.

"Fuck you." Zoey said with venom.

"You will honey…..in due time."

Tom walked up and grabbed her roughly, bringing her close to him. He rubbed his old decrepit body all over Zoey as she struggled to get loose.

"All….in….due….time." He whispered in her ear.

"Knock it off Tom. You heard what Joey said." Paul said from the door of his bedroom.

"What? You get a piece of her and now you gonna get all protective and shit?"

"Whatever." Was all Tom said as he turned around and walked out.

Daniel walked in and grabbed one of Zoey's arms as Tom got the other one, leading her back towards the safe room.

As Paul walked in, the guys started to cheer and congratulate him.

Zoey was pushed, none to gently, on the floor in the corner as she had to endure the questions and crude comments.

She slowly lay down on the cold hard floor and stared at the wall, away from the guys. Her thoughts immediately went to Francis, Bill and Louis.

Zoey would not believe that they were dead, even though she knew that it was next to impossible that they had survived. Could it be that she would never see them again? That she was left in this horrible nightmare of a world alone to be tortured by these humans and hunted by those infected.

She was so caught up in the memory of Francis that she didn't hear someone come up behind her until she felt a sharp kick in the back.

Zoey held in a gasp of pain, deciding not to let these men break her or see her broken.

There was another kick and large hands grabbed her roughly, bringing her back to her feet. She turned around to see Nathan standing in front of her again.

"You don't get to sleep." He said as he slapped her hard on the face. The impact was hard enough that it jerked her head to one side. She wanted so badly to be able to rub her sore cheek but her hands were tied behind her.

"Nathan, I swear to God if you make it to where she can't perform for us I will throw you outside myself." She heard Joey's strained voice say from across the room.

"Don't worry Joey….just having a little fun with the whore." He said smiling evilly at her.

The next move that Zoey made was one that she didn't really think about…..it just sort of happened.

She spat into the swollen, demon like face of Nathan.

He's stunned expression was remarkably funny and Zoey couldn't not help the laughter that she heard coming from herself.

The laughing turned in to gasps of airs as Nathan punched her in the stomach. Zoey didn't think anything could be worse than the smoker's tongue squeezing the life out of her…..she was sorely mistaken. Before she knew it, she was on her knees taking punch after punch from Nathan's hands.

It took all of a minute before the guys could pull him off of her.

She felt her own blood coming out of her nose and mouth, dripping down to the white concrete below her. Her body ached as it did when the smoker got to her.

"_DAMN IT NATHAN! I told you not to fuck her up. Get out of my sight and cool the fuck off now. You didn't listen the first time when you killed Valerie. I be damned if you kill this one before we get to her." _Joey screamed.

Zoey felt light headed as she tried to stop the bleeding from her nose and mouth. She was surprised that he didn't break any teeth.

Joey reached down and gently grabbed her chin, bringing her face up to where he could inspect the damage.

"Damn." He sighed. "Someone bring me a damp rag."

Paul walked out of the safe room only to return a few minutes later with the damp rag. She watched him walk slowly towards her, averting his eyes. 'Yeah mother fucker, look at what you are letting them do to me.' She said silently.

The stinging pain caused from the rag made her flinch back slightly. She could feel her right eye closing due to the swelling.

All eyes were on her at that moment and she wanted to pluck each and every one of them out of their sockets.

"Well shit! I guess that answers our question of who's next. She's too fucked up to be any good tonight." Joey said turning to his friends.

"Let's get some rest and then we will have her tomorrow." He said getting to his feet. "Paul you are on first watch. If Nathan so much as points a finger at her….shoot him."

Nathan looked up stunned from his corner of the room.

The men all settled down on their mattresses to Zoey's left. She rested her head against the brick wall, wishing she could just pass on into oblivion.

This was her life now. A life filled with beatings and rapes and God knows what else.

Tears mixed with blood were making their way along Zoey's bruised face as she thought about the future. The first chance she got, she would throw herself in the horde of infected. It was a much better future than the one that stared her in the face.

She watched Paul take a seat at the table, picking up one of the many guns sitting out. Slowly he turned his head in her direction.

When their eyes met he looked away quickly.

Breathing heavily, Zoey closed her eyes and wished for the end to come.

What seemed like hours later, she felt someone shaking her awake.

Opening the one good eye she had, she saw Paul standing over her looking around nervously.

"Paul what are you doing?" She asked low.

"Shh….We don't have time." He said bending down to stand her up.

"Time for what?" Zoey asked confused.

"You were right Zoey. I have a little humanity left in me and I'm going to get you out of here." He whispered.

Zoey felt a rush of relief so heavy it almost buckled her knees.

"Thank you so much Paul." She said emotionally.

"Come on Zoey. We are running out of time." He put his arm around her and led her to the door of the safe room.

As they got into the hall he started to speak again. "The guys have been asleep for a few hours, so we might have a chance to get a good ways away from here before they wake up."

Walking as fast as she possibly could, Zoey and Paul got to the stairs in record time but before they could walk down them, they heard the cock of a gun behind them.

Both froze on the first step, much too frightened to turn around.

"You know, I'm really disappointed in you Paul." Came the bitter, ice cold voice of Joey.

She felt Paul start to shake as he half turned them around to look at the barrel of the shotgun Joey was holding.

"Joey please…" Paul begged.

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP!" _He screamed. "You dare to take her from me? You DARE to defy me!"

"Turn around and go back to the safe room….now!" He said.

Joey reminded Zoey of a land mine waiting in the wings of some unsuspected person to step on it. He was so close to losing control that Zoey expected him to pull that trigger any minute.

She felt Paul start moving her back towards the safe room….back towards the hell she now suffered. She wasn't really worried about herself at this point. She still had a purpose. But Paul…..Paul had betrayed them by trying to help her.

Walking in the room, Zoey saw that all the men were standing waiting on their return. Their faces showed the true rage that they felt and for once it wasn't directed at her.

Tom walked up to them and pulled her away from Paul's arm. She watched helplessly as she was put back into her corner.

No matter what the little shit had down before now….he had tried to help her escape.

She watched as the four remaining mean encircled Paul. They were like animals playing with their prey.

Paul stood their slowly turning in circles, meeting all of their faces with a brave one of his own. He would go out a hero in his mind because he broke away from the monster they wanted him to be. He would die a human.

"Tell me why Paul. Why would you go and do something so stupid?"

Paul turned to meet the hard stare of Joey. There was no fear in his eyes as he faced down his leader. There was only defiance and Zoey admired him for it.

"Because Joey….I'm not a monster. I am Paul Palmer. Son of Dave and Traci Palmer, and I will die with them proud of me." He said softly.

"Oh yes….you will die." Joey said as he brought the shotgun up to Paul's forehead.

Zoey closed her eyes as she heard the final sound that sealed Paul's fate. She heard his dead body fall to the floor as not a word was spoken.

After a few moments she slowly opened her eyes to see them carrying out the headless body of the man that tried to save her. Was there no end to what these monsters were capable of?

"Let this be a lesson to all of you. The next one that does some stupid shit like that…..I'll feed you to a horde." Joey said walking towards Zoey.

"And as for you, you just let a kid get killed because of you. I swear to you bitch, you will pay for that."

Zoey did not dare speak back at that. She knew he was dead serious and it scared the shit out of her. There were other things worse than death.

He walked back to his mattress and sat down, cocking his gun and pointing it at her.

"I'll be the one on watch now. All you other fuckers get some rest." He said, never taking his eyes off of Zoey.

Slowly she turned towards the wall and lay down. She would get no sleep, for ever time she closed her eyes, she saw Paul's body.

Zoey figured about an hour had passed by when she heard Joey get to his feet. He walked in her direction, but she didn't turn to look at him.

He grabbed her and yanked her up causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Tom, Daniel come with us." He said walking her to the door.

She was starting to have a bad feeling about this as they made their way towards the apartment.

Banging the door open with his foot, Joey pushed Zoey into the room. She lost her balance and fell to the floor hard.

"_Get up bitch!" _He said yanking her to her feet.

He half carried her to the bedroom and threw her face down on the bed.

"You fuckers stay at the door….I'll be out later." Zoey heard him tell Tom and Daniel.

Joey walked back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. The look in his eyes told Zoey all that she needed to know.

This was it. All of her luck had run out and now she would be raped by this monster for sure.

He grabbed her shoulders, twisting her around on her back.

The pain in her arms was almost unbearable. He yanked her down to the foot of the bed where he was standing.

Grabbing her legs he, not so gently, opened them wide. He stepped between her legs, looking down at her with a wicked smile.

Zoey started to wiggle her way up the bed to get away from him. He just grabbed her legs and yanked her back.

Before she could think he was on top of her unzipping her hoodie in lightning speed, yanking it off her shoulders.

He roughly slammed his mouth into hers as she screamed inside his mouth.

Trying everything she could to move her head away from him was pointless. He had her pinned and there was no way out of this situation.

Zoey's body went slack as his hand made its way down to her pants. Unbuttoning her pants, his hand slowly slid into them.

There was a crash in the living room of the apartment and Joey stopped his movement.

Raising his head, he yelled out to the two men standing watch. "You fuckers keep it down out there. I'm trying to fucking concentrate!"

Resuming his exploration of her body, she felt him start to unbutton his pants. This was it! This was the final straw that would break her of any reality that she had known. The moment he took her she would cease to exist.

"Francis." She whispered.

"Is dead." Joey said in a husky voice.

Zoey closed her eyes as she watched him prepare to rape her.

The door to the room swung open revealing someone standing in the doorway.

'Now I have to deal with an audience?' She asked herself.

"I told you fuckers not to…." Joey stopped mid sentence as he took in the man's silhouette.

Zoey had only a split second to feel his frightened shutter before she felt him being yanked off of her.

The sickening sound of his head being bashed against the far wall was deafening to her ears. It took a moment to register what was going on.

First she was being raped and then Joey was plastered to the wall by someone in the dark. Her head was spinning with confusion until that silhouetted figure spoke.

"_Mother fucking piece of shit….the next time you throw someone out of a building you better damn well make sure there's no other way to get back in…..like the fire escape."_

It was his voice. The voice she thought she could only dream of.

Francis had only whispered the words yet the deadliness of them cut through the dark like a knife to butter.

"Zoey." Louis whispered beside her.

She turned her head, in shock, to see Louis running towards her.

He reached out and gently sat her on the side of the bed. Pulling out the keys to the handcuffs, he released her hands.

She grabbed him, holding him tightly to her. The floodgates of her tears let loose again as she heard him trying to calm her down.

"Louis is she okay?" She heard Francis ask barely containing the rage underneath.

"She looks pretty beaten up Francis. Zoey….can you stand?"

She really wasn't sure at this point.

Without speaking she shook her head yes. Slowly Louis helped her to her feet, putting a supportive arm around her.

"_I've got the others rounded up guys but we are missing one." _Bill called from the living room.

"He's dead." Zoey whispered.

"Louis, take this fucker into the living room with the others." Francis said snatching Joey away from the wall and walking towards them.

Louis slowly sat Zoey back down on the bed as he took a gun out of his back. Walking over to Francis, Louis put the gun against Joey's back pushing him forward and out of the room.

Francis stood there for a moment not moving a muscle. Zoey looked in his direction desperately wishing he would come and hold her.

Standing, she turned to walk towards him but didn't get a foot down before she was engulfed into his safe arms. She threw her arms around his neck holding on as tightly as she could.

Just hours before she thought she would never get to see him again, and now he was holding her.

"_Oh God Zoey please tell me we weren't too late." _Francis' pleading voice broke through her thoughts.

"Shh…..I'm fine Francis. A little banged up but that's it." She said as she held him tighter.

"I….I thought when I saw him on top of you…..Oh God Zoey I tried to get to you sooner."

"The fact that you got to me at all is enough Francis." She said crying harder.

They stood there in the darkness of the bedroom holding on to one another as if the moment they let go of one another it would all be a dream.

Francis, Bill and Louis had made it. They were safe and sound and they had saved her.

He kissed her softly, but stopped as he noticed how swollen her face felt.

"Zoey?"

"It's not as bad as it looks Francis, I promise. They roughed me up pretty good but I'm fine." She said trying to reassure them.

She felt his body grow to a tension that she didn't think could be humanly possible.

"Zoey, I'm going to go take care of those bastards. I want you to stay in here for me okay?"

There was no way in hell she would miss this. Zoey wanted every one of those ass holes to pay for what they did.

"No Francis. I want to see." She said defiantly.

Taking a deep breath, Francis wrapped an arm around Zoey's shoulder leading her out of the room.

Zoey noticed that the four men were on their knees in front of a well armed Bill and Louis.

Francis took Zoey to the couch, back away from the men.

He turned his big frame towards the men as he spoke to Zoey. "Who did that to your face?"

"Nathan." She looked in his direction to see true fear in his eyes.

Francis walked over to Nathan and grabbed him by his hair. He tried to fight back but there was no stopping an irate Francis.

She watched as he dragged the screaming Nathan towards the window. Stepping out on the deck, Francis whistled as loud as he could.

Zoey heard the frenzy of the horde that hadn't left the area yet. She could imagine them spotting Francis and Nathan above them.

"Got a snack for ya fuckers." He said as he picked up the still screaming man and tossed him over the side of the railing.

Zoey was stunned. She watched Francis walk back in eyeing the other men.

"Who's next?" He asked.

After the screaming and fighting of the other three men, all that was left in the room was Joey. He no longer looked like the arrogant bastard that he thought he was. Right now he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Francis walked slowly towards him as Joey stumbled back towards the window.

"I told you that if you laid another hand on her I would kill you. No matter if the other's tried to stop me. Well fucker, I don't think they want me to stop this time. Do you Louis?"

Louis looked over at the man, "Rot in hell ass hole!"

"Bill?"

"I hope they eat you long and slow."

"Zoey?"

She didn't say anything for a moment. All of the things that this evil man did. He did not deserve to hurt anyone else.

"An eye for an eye." She stated simply.

She could almost imagine Francis' smile as he tossed the man over with the others.

Zoey walked up to stand beside Francis to look down. She wanted to see this man get what he rightfully deserved.

As she watched, something strange began to happen. The horde of infected stopped attacking Joey.

His earsplitting scream sent chills down her spine. Watching him he started to grow deformed.

The arms and legs stopped looking human as the stretched out from his body. Joey's neck grew three times as big as his head.

The screaming turned into roaring as right before their eyes, he transformed into something that Zoey could not ever imagine. She had never seen anything so huge in all of her movies, in all of her books, and in all of her life.

There was only one thing in her mind that came remotely come close to explaining the shear size of this creature………A Tank!

**Oh my good Lord that took forever!!! Sorry that it is so long but I couldn't stop. It kept coming and coming and coming!!! I so hoped all of you enjoyed it. Please, please, please REVIEW!!!!! THANKS!**


	15. Bad Ass

**A/N Hey everyone!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Okay first off, I have to remind everyone that this is my first story. I am no way a writer so there is going to be a lot of mistakes. I proof read and proof read but I won't be able to catch everything. I get so mad at myself when I find a mistake after I publish a chapter so I just wanted to say I hope it doesn't take away from the story when I flub up!! Secondly, I got an email today from a girl named Lucy….Hi Lucy! She brought up a question that she and a friend had about the last chapter and if Zoey got raped or not. I wanted to leave a note so there would be no confusion. After much thought….about an hour….I decided not to go the route of her being raped. The scene was originally suppose to be her getting raped, that was how I was going to write it, but at the last minute I decided I just couldn't do it. I don't want to offend anyone who has had that happen to them, nor make them relive the events. So to answer any confusion….No Zoey wasn't raped. She was however fondled a bit but not anything that would scar her because we all know Francis arrived just in time. Now saying all of that let's get started. If anyone has any questions about my story don't hesitate to ask.**

**TetraLink17: Noooo you have to have words!! Words make me happy. I'm so happy you enjoyed the twists. The scenes with Paul just kinda happened. I thought a little twist in there with him trying to help her would be cool. As for the short moment of revenge, well our favorite survivors can't get out of it that easy!! Thanks for the review.**

**Dekiller: Yes they sure did get what's coming!! The Francis in my head was having a blast. As for a sequel….I haven't made my mind up yet. I could go two different ways. I could make it a sequel to this story starting on another campaign, or I could start completely over making a whole new story with another campaign….only thing about that is I don't want it to be repetitive, so I'm not really sure what I will choose to do. Thanks for the review!!!!**

**Stormic09: Yes!**

**AellaFreya: *gives puppy dog eyes* I'm not trying to be mean at all!!!!! (Evil grin)**

**Violet Jasper: I love you being hysterical!! Don't stop. Your reviews are awesome Thanks!**

**Itachirocks31: I'm so glad I could catch you off guard and not expecting the Tank. That was the idea. Yes Francis is such a bad ass, I love writing him. Seriously don't piss him off and realllllly don't mess with Zoey.**

**AspiringAuthor00: Thank you, Thank you!! Don't you just love intense stories that have you biting your nails before you know it?**

**Zhadist: Thank you for your review!! Yes Nathan died slooowly! As for Joey being the tank….to me it makes perfect sense, he is evil and the tank is the evilest!!**

**sped class: Thank you!**

**Freak Del Gatto: I told ya my brain is in overdrive!! Thanks for the review, glad you are enjoying it so much!**

**Lildegen: Thanks so much! Glad I could get your imagination going with the back story of our survivors! I've always wanted to know their history. Keep reading there is more to come!**

**Kaiser Spartan: You ask a very good question! But let me ask you one….How did anyone get to be a tank? What made the people who turned into hunters, witches, smokers, boomers, or tanks so different for the rest of the people that just became regular infected? This is my take on it. Joey is evil and to me the tank is evil personified. Take it or leave it I guess!! Thanks for the question.**

**OclairbearO: Thanks for the review! Yes, yes they had to save Zoey. As for suffering…..BAWAAHAHAHAHAH!! Oh there is more to come!**

**Ramenloverextreme: Wow, thanks so much for your kind review!! I appreciate you reading the story and I'm glad you are enjoying it. As for the rape…like I said earlier I just couldn't go there.**

**Jjt: Awe. Thanks so much for your review! I'm humbled. As for lemons, I'm not sure yet. I would love to do a scene with Zoey and Francis but I haven't made my mind up! Guess you will have to keep reading.**

**Bad Ass**

Zoey was frozen in place. She looked down at the demonic creature that Joey now was. He had completely transformed into something that was made of muscle and rage. The roar that came from his enormous mouth had Zoey trembling from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

Wide eyed, she watched as the creature crushed the infected left and right. His fists were the size of a human alone and it took out several infected at a time.

She was too afraid to take her eyes off of the creature but she was sure that the guys were just as wide eyed as her. She thought about what this creature's size would be compared to, but there was nothing that came to mind. Only one thing came close and that was a tank.

As if in slow motion, she watched the gigantic demon turn his head up to where they were standing on the apartment balcony.

Zoey could have sworn the damn thing smiled at them.

"_Holy fuck," _Francis whispered to her right.

The creature raised his hand and with a loud roar rammed his fists into the pavement below him. The impact sent a ripple effect towards the apartment building that they were in.

Zoey felt the crash with every once of her body and it did nothing to help her nerves that were fried at this point.

A thick chunk of concrete was pulled away from the earth by the massive hands of the tank.

Out of her peripheral vision, Zoey saw Francis, Bill and Louis slowly backing into the apartment. At that moment, Zoey didn't think she could move a finger much less her whole body.

"Zoey," she heard Francis call.

There was no way she could speak. 'My God that thing just busted through concrete', she heard a voice say in her head.

An infected horde was one thing, but this…this unimaginable creature was a whole new ballgame. Maybe this was why the virus was created in the first place. To find the ultimate weapon.

This thing could bulldoze through armies of men without breaking a sweat or being stopped for that matter.

"Francis she's going into shock," Louis said.

Shock wasn't the word for what Zoey was feeling. She was witnessing something unlike anything she had ever seen. Yes she had watched people die and turn into infected things. Yes she had almost been killed by one of them. Yes she had been held captive and almost raped by humans, but this….this was something she wasn't ready for.

Zoey felt arms grab her and jerk her into the apartment as a loud crash hit the balcony where they had just been standing.

Francis fell to the floor of the living room as he held tightly to Zoey.

Pieces of the concrete that had just been thrown in their direction were flying all around them. The sound of broken glass could be heard above the roaring outside.

"_FUCK," _Francis screamed in pain.

That was the only sound that could have possible snapped Zoey out of her shocked state. She came to with a sharp awareness of Francis' scream.

Turning around, Zoey looked at the pained face of the man she loved and fear replaced the shock. He was lying on his back with his eyes slammed shut, gritting his teeth. Sweat poured down his fore head onto his closed eyelids.

"Francis what's wrong?"

She could not hide the worry in her voice as she laid her hands on his face, trying to get him to make eye contact with her.

"Damn it, my ankle," he said pointing to where the pain was coming from.

Zoey followed the direction that he was pointing and gasped as she saw a big chunk of concrete on top of his foot.

She reached down and pushed with everything she had to release him from the trap of the concrete. It wouldn't budge at first, but after a moment it started to move.

Bill and Louis ran over to help push the concrete off of their fallen comrade as the roaring outside got louder.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity to Zoey, Francis' foot was pulled out from the death trap. She watched him stand slowly and walk. He had a very noticeable limp but looked as though he was able to put pressure on it.

"Well, fuck it….least it's not broken. I can deal with a sprained ankle.

Before anyone could comment, they felt the walls of the apartment room start to barely shake.

They could hear the large predatory footsteps of the creature down below them. Something was off about the sound. It was more muffled now. 'It almost sounds as if it were….' she didn't get enough time to finish the sentence in her head because Bill spoke what she was thinking.

"_It's inside," _He whispered wide eyed.

They bolted for the door. Louis made it first and jerked the door open for everyone to run out into the hall.

"Where the hell are we supposed to go? If that fuckin thing can break through concrete, that safe room ain't gonna be shit for him," Francis asked.

He had a protective arm around Zoey, and she wondered if he was holding her so tightly for her benefit or his.

The roar and the hard hitting footsteps were coming closer. It was decision making time and none of them had the slightest clue of what to do.

"We have to get the fuck outside. It's the only way to keep from getting killed by that thing."

Outside? Zoey wasn't so sure that Bill's idea was a very good one. If they made it outside, not only would they have to deal with the infected, but a raging, maniac, powerful tank.

"What the hell Bill! We just looked outside. The place is swarming with infected out there," Francis said angrily.

"Yeah, in the back. You know there is a front entrance we can get out of. What's wrong Francis? Afraid of a thing that has more muscles than you?"

Bill was smiling challengingly at Francis.

Zoey was so caught off guard by the fact that Bill was smiling, that she almost missed Francis smile back. It was not his usual smile. This was a smile of competition, a smile that spoke volumes to Zoey about how bad ass Francis really was.

"Outside it is! And one other thing old man. Whoever takes it down gets major bad ass points."

Zoey rolled her eyes at the two men who picked the worse time to prove to everyone which one had a bigger dick. It just amazed her that these guys went from being scared to challenged. Zoey didn't care about meeting this thing face to face.

All smiles vanished as they heard the creature only a floor beneath them.

"It's time to go guys…..now," Louis said backing up to the emergency exit stairs opposite the safe room.

Slamming her way through the door, Zoey tried her best to get down the stairs as fast as possible. It was nearly blinding in the stairwell as they moved rapidly. She could hear Francis literally on her back as they continued to move down one set of stairs after the other.

It didn't matter how fast they moved or how far they got, the creature could still be heard only a few floors above them.

The sound of Joey…no, it wasn't Joey anymore, this demon straight from the pits of hell. It was as if the whole apartment complex was being swallowed by a tornado, more deadly and destructible than anyone had ever seen. The walls shook; the floors whined and bended to this monster's will. Zoey, Francis, Bill and Louis were nothing but ants looking up to a god in this thing that thirsted for their blood.

Zoey could see the front entrance of the apartment building and found the will to run even faster. They were almost out into the open where they had more of a chance to survive.

Louis stopped only for a moment to check the area and then proceeded to run into the open night. They did not have the luxury of wasting time to make sure of no infected. They would take their chances with a horde of infected over this beast any day.

They found their way onto the main road of Mercy City.

Zoey had driven on this road several times, running errands for her mother downtown.

Cars congested this road just like all the rest they had been on. People trying desperately to flee from something….maybe even the something that was after them now.

There were no alleys this time. Buildings lined the sidewalk, mostly thrift stores and your occasional gas station. In front of them was another apartment complex. Zoey had dated a guy in high school that lived in this building. They had broken up before graduation because both were going to colleges on the opposite side of the U.S. map. It would have never worked anyway.

"Zoey take this," Francis said, handing her an M-16 gun.

She saw that everyone was armed with an M-16 or in Francis' case a shotgun.

It dawned on her what the guys were planning to do. Her eyes went wide with unbelief and fear.

"_YOU have got to be out of your fucking minds!"_

"Zoey, we can't outrun it. Either we kill it, or it kills us," Francis said in a low voice.

She could see how scared he was, but not for himself. He was scared for her and yet he believed wholeheartedly this was the only way. They had to face the demon and hopefully live to tell about it.

"_Stay close to me," _He whispered.

Before she could respond, there was a loud booming sound in the apartment building they had just come out of.

Turning her eyes away from Francis to look at the building, Zoey's fear went up to an all time high.

Three stories up there was an earth shattering cry from the building as the creature burst through its walls with no more than a breath.

Zoey felt herself lose control of being able to stand on two feet when the creature made contact with the paved road they all were standing on. Francis caught her under her arm to keep her steady even while he was having trouble himself.

There was no time to think, no time to plan their next move as the horrible thing came charging at them.

At the same time, Zoey, Francis, Louis and Bill raised their guns towards the furious beast coming at them.

No one spoke as the sound of their gunfire cut through the quiet night. If this were a movie, Zoey would have thought how brave of these four people to stand and fight. Being the star of that movie though was a different story. She fought the instinctive feeling of running, fleeing for her life but there was no escape. 'Kill or be killed', she reminded herself.

It seemed like forever, but was only a seconds and the massive creature kept charging as though they were merely throwing rocks at him.

She could hear Francis stopping to put more ammo into is shotgun. Every cuss word imaginable fell from his beautiful lips.

All at once the creature stopped and Zoey felt hope that they had finally done some damage. All hope was shattered as they watched the thing pick up a car….a FUCKING car with his huge arms.

"_Oh SHIT," _Bill shouted.

The next few seconds where kind of a blur to Zoey. She watched as the car came sailing, like a bullet, towards them and without thinking jumped to her left out of its way.

She felt someone pick her up off the ground and run. Looking over, expecting to see Francis, she was surprised to see Louis. He had a determined look on his face and didn't look at her.

Zoey tried to look behind her but felt a jerk from Louis, making her look ahead of her.

"_Don't dare turn around Zoey….you fucking run as hard as you can." _

He was out of breath, yet she could here the panic in his voice.

What had happened to Francis and Bill? Oh God she couldn't have lost them again. Not again!

"_Francis," Zoey whispered hoarsely._

Louis raised his gun and shot at an infected charging towards them. Zoey looked up and saw they were leaving the lighted area of the street.

The ground started to shake as an ear splitting roar was heard only a few yards behind them. Stealing a glance, Zoey saw that she and Louis had become the massive creature's next target.

"_AIM ZOEY….AIM!"_

On adrenaline alone, she felt herself turning, as if in slow motion, and raise the M-16 towards the monster of her ongoing nightmare. Louis knelt in front of her and they poured their well made ammo into every inch of the Tank's, as she had come to know it in her head, body.

The monster, again, was unfazed by their attempts to bring it down. Zoey was slowly coming to the realization that maybe this thing couldn't be killed.

They both moved, at the same time, to get out of the way of this charging bull. She could feel the air from the swing that the Tank took at them. She changed her analogy of this creature. He wasn't a tornado; he was a fucking category five hurricane.

Zoey got to her feet and ran as fast as she could towards the direction they had come from. She could hear the panting from Louis behind her and was thankful she hadn't left him.

He caught up with her and grabbed her arm, pushing her forward as fast as she could go. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen, and her legs felt like jelly. In the middle of a life and death situation, Zoey realized she was bad out of shape.

She lost her footing as the Tank slammed his hands into the pavement like he did earlier. She was about to get pulverized by a concrete slab and she wasn't even going to see it coming.

Zoey finally took a chance and turned her head to where she could see behind them.

The tank had a piece of concrete, the size of a car, above his head, ready to throw it at them.

"_LOUIS," _she screamed.

Pushing him away from her, to the left, Zoey dove to her right. She heard the huge piece of concrete whirl by her in mere inches.

She could have reached out and touched the thing as it flew past her into a car. The sound of the impact was deafening.

As the dust settled, Zoey realized that it wasn't the car that had won that fight.

Turning towards the hellish creature, she saw it make eye contact with her and again she swore that it had smiled. Could it be possible that this thing knew exactly what it was doing and was enjoying it?

She jumped to her feet and raised the M-16. Pulling the trigger, all that was heard was a small click. She pulled it again and again and nothing. Not one single bullet came from this deadly gun.

She was out of ammo.

She stood there, looking into the eyes of death…..her death. She had been through everything. She had been on the verge of death at every turn and this was how it was going to end. Joey had tried to take everything from her when he was human and he hadn't succeeded. Now…this horrible creature that he had become was gonna finish the job.

Maybe she would give the guys a chance to flee, and where the fuck was Francis and Bill?

As if they heard what she was thinking, she saw Francis and Bill rise onto some cars parked beside each other. It was so dramatic that it was for movies only. If she could have told anyone about this experience, no one would believe her.

"_HEY FUCKING ASS HOLE! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!" _

In the midst of everything, Zoey let the biggest smile shine from her face as she took in the two men standing on the cars.

"_COME GET SOME MOTHERFUCKER," _she heard Bill scream.

The two men got the attention of the Tank as it stopped pursuing Zoey and Louis.

Turning, it charged after Francis and Bill.

"_EAT THIS FUCKER," _Francis screamed as he threw what looked to Zoey like a beer bottle.

Before she knew it, the night sky was lit up like fireworks on the forth of July. She covered her eyes from the brightness that the flames made.

Right in the middle of the hot orange flames stood the monster. He was roaring in pain, trying to thrash at the flames, yet he kept moving forward.

Simultaneously, Francis and Bill raised their guns and unleashed hell upon this creature that had tormented them enough.

Zoey looked over to see Louis joining in on the assault against this massive Tank.

As if in slow motion, the Tank broke through the flames as if it were a flaming arrow shot from a bow.

Its movements were becoming slower and more erratic, yet it lurched forward right for the car Francis was standing on.

Zoey screamed as it made contact with the red Ford and sent Francis jumping towards Bill.

Francis was milliseconds away from being crushed to death by this flaming demon, but managed to keep his balance after hitting the roof of Bill's car hard.

Zoey heard one more final piercing scream come from the mouth of this beast before it fell over dead.

It was eerie how quiet it became after that. There was no noise except from the flames in the middle of the street. The charring body of the thing that used to be Joey, lay face up, staring never ending into the sky.

Slowly walking up to it, Zoey leaned down to where the eyes stared at her. She felt such venom from this thing….from this person that it used to be.

"An eye for a fucking eye," she whispered to the dead carcass.

"Well I'd say that was some fucked up shit."

Zoey looked up to see Bill climb down off the top of the car followed by Francis.

She stood up and walked over towards Francis, wrapping her arms around him.

"You ok," she asked into his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm right as rain darlin….you?"

"Not so good. This is the second time tonight I thought you were killed."

"Hey, look at me," Francis said grabbing her chin and raising her face to him.

"It's gonna take a whole hell of a lot more than this to keep me away from you darlin. Once you're stuck with me, you're stuck."

Zoey reached up and kissed him gently on the lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way Francis."

"Um, Francis you realized I killed him in the end right?"

She watched Francis look lovingly from her to hard cold at Bill.

"Come again?"

"Oh you heard me correctly the first time softy," Bill said smiling.

"What the fuck have you been smoking old man. I threw the damn Molotov ass hole."

"Yeah well I was shooting the thing to death while you were jumping like a damn girl over to my car."

Francis looked as if he was going to explode any minute and Zoey just rolled her eyes and walked towards Louis.

Men! She would never understand them.

Walking up to Louis, he put his arm around her and laughed lightly as they watched the two men going at it.

"You sure you want to put up with someone like that?"

She knew that Louis was only kidding with that question, but she could hear the sadness in it. She wasn't sure if it was because she was with Francis and not him, or that he did not have anyone.

"I love him…….hard headed and all."

Louis only grunted in reply.

Those two men could fight all they wanted about who was the bigger bad ass, but to Zoey everyone one of them were bad asses. Her family had saved her more than once tonight, and they were her bad asses. Her Hero's.

As they watched the two men continue to argue, there was a noise in the distance. It wasn't the sound of a horde, or the sound of a smoker, or even the sound of a hunter. This was a sound that Zoey and the others hadn't heard since starting this trip weeks ago.

Francis and Bill went silent as everyone looked in the direction of the noise.

As the thing got closer there was no mistaking what it was, and for just a moment Zoey let herself feel the hope she longed to have. Francis reached her and put his arm around her as everyone waited to see the thing they all hoped it was.

Sure enough, in the distance of the night sky, came the lights and sound of a helicopter.

**Okay people! I'm sorry that it has taken me a couple of days to get this update out. Work has been hectic and I've been exhausted lately. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to write more!! I have gotten so many reviews lately, and I just wanted all of you to know that you help me so much to write this story. Seriously, you have no clue how much it helps to read that y'all are so excited about this story!! Please Review! Like I said, it gives me inspiration. I'll see ya again in the next chapter, or on the game!! Have a great rest of the week.**


	16. Author's Notes

_**A/N: Ok everyone, after rereading, rereading and rereading chapter 16 again I just totally started to hate that chapter. I wrote it early in the morning and was totally off with everything. I did not represent the characters the way they should have been represented at all. Some of you pointed that out to me and I thank you…..you were so right. I told myself I would never do this, but I just feel that I have to redo this chapter. In my mind it was just horrid and I was beginning to lose a little faith in my own story……soooo, I'm going to stop and start over with my original idea and hopefully it will be a lot better! I'm sorry about the inconvenience but I feel this is the only action to take! It will be better to the ones of you who are thinking what the hell is going on with me. Thanks so much**_

_**Ericka**_


	17. Anger

**A/N: Ok people….Let's try this again!! I've been rattled writing this story and I really don't know how to explain it. I just want to say thank you for being so patient and I'm trying everything I can to get back on track. I think this chapter will be loads better than the other one. I'm not going to comment on any of the reviews because I got rid of the chapter you were reviewing, but I will say a thank you for taking the time to review!! It is much appreciated. Now, on with the show**

**Anger**

"Motherfucking ass holes," Zoey mumbled to no one in particular. Standing there with Francis, Bill and Louis, they watched the helicopter pass them by as if they were nothing more than garbage on the street. Not even so much as a glance their way was spared by the fuckers on board. Zoey balled her hands into fists. She had had enough. There was not a single human that she had met, save for the three men standing with her, that gave a good goddamn about anyone but themselves and she was fed up with it.

They were on their own in this horror movie and it was about time that she realized it. That scared little girl that she felt on the inside had to go. There was no room to be scared and weak. It was time for her to take her place among these men. The time for tears was over because she hadn't met an infected or human who had shed any tears for her.

Zoey really didn't know what was causing this sudden reaction. She wasn't sure if it was the men that put the ugly bruises on her face or if it was the men safely flying away from them without helping, all she knew was that the days of being the weak link in this chain was over.

Anger, that was a powerful feeling and right now Zoey felt very powerful. Looking over at her comrades she noticed all eyes on her. Could they see the change in her eyes, the child turning into a woman?

She heard the scream to her left and knew what it was before she turned to look. Francis grabbed her arm to push her behind him but she stopped his progress immediately. For the first time since this whole ordeal started, Zoey felt no fear. She looked at the situation with both eyes opened.

Raising her gun, she aimed the deadly weapon in the direction of the crazed woman headed towards them. Firing once, her shot was dead on and the thing dropped immediately. A part of her knew that she should feel remorse for killing that which used to be human, but all she could feel was satisfaction…..one down, millions more to go. 'If it's not one of us, kill it,' she told herself.

"Zoey, you feeling alright?" She turned to look in the confused eyes of Francis.

She couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. She felt free and in control…..finally.

"Guys, I haven't felt this good since the first time I saw my first horror movie," she said laughing.

She laughed harder as the confusion on their faces became deeper. They really did see her as a weakling and boy would that have to change and change soon. It was either that or they thought she was going crazy.

"You guys want to stand there all night looking at me like that or do you want to find a safe place to rest," she asked walking away from them. "It's a new day boys…..and a new Zoey. I didn't waste my parents hard earned money dropping out of school, because of those damn horror movies, just to become the stupid bitch of a character I loathed in those movies."

Finally, after years of her mother wishing she would grow up and her father beating it in to her head that she was not a baby anymore, it took one apocalypse and a group of worthless humans to do the job.

Zoey heard the guys walking up beside her. She could feel Francis watching her as they walked. Looking over at him, she noticed his face had smoothed back out and all confusion was gone.

"What," she asked.

"You know, this whole new attitude thing is fuckin' turnin' me on right now darlin'," he said smiling.

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Francis, if I ran around in a circle with my arms up in the air, screaming like a crazy woman that would turn you on."

Francis' bellowing laugh was loud enough to wake the dead….literally. "True enough darlin', but what can I say…..I'm a sex machine baby!"

Everyone laughed at that. "Well I hope you're good at something Francis cause you damn well ain't good at killing a tank," Bill said doubled over laughing.

Francis stopped abruptly and turned towards the older man. Pure rage shown in his eyes and Zoey did everything she could to hide the smile playing on her face.

"Are you seriously going back to that? I swear to God old man I will break your dick off and shove it up your ass! For the last damn time I threw the Molotov to slow the bastard…..…you know what, it fuckin don't matter, I don't have to prove anything to you Grandpa."

Bill could hardly stand up he was laughing so hard. He had a hold of Louis' shoulder to keep his balance as tears ran down his face. It wasn't that Bill and Francis didn't like each other. It was actually the total opposite. Zoey knew deep down inside of them they had a great respect for one another, but fucking with each other was more fun.

They walked on through the blackness of the night. Each one was lost in their thoughts so not much was said. Zoey led the way from Jackson St. to Lampkin Ave. all the way to Moore Rd… Every street had a memory of the days when things were easy…..safe. Now she looked upon her hometown and saw nothing but devastation and death. Bodies littered the streets, some unrecognizable, others very much familiar. She would not think of those people.

Looking ahead, Zoey noticed a familiar building standing out against the night. There were no lights to illuminate the brick structure, yet Zoey still recognized it. Mercy High School, home of the Yellow jackets, how she hated that school. She was never the popular kid, nor was she a geek. Zoey always felt that she was that kid who didn't fit any category and that was the worse kind. A child with no identity…what the fuck ever. She would not give Mercy High School a second thought.

Turning the corner onto Park circle, they all come to a sudden stop. Hundreds of infected wandered the streets, some throwing up while others just sat on their asses. None of them seem to pay any mind to the other. It baffled Zoey how they could be in such close proximity to one another, yet no one attack. It was like their radar wasn't picking up anything but survivors.

"Well, we should have known it wasn't going to be that easy," Louis mumbled.

Zoey just smiled. She was just itching for a good fight now. Bending down, Zoey brought her backpack from around her back and dug in. Wrapping her hand around the object of her choice, she slowly stood and walked forward.

"Zoey what are you doing." Louis asked.

"Showing you guys what a real bad ass can do."

Walking half way between the horde and the guys, Zoey stopped and turned the pipe bomb on. She could feel it humming in her hand and it made her feel powerful. Turning her head around, she looked at the guys faces. "Get ready gentlemen…..I'm fixing to pick a fight."

"_HEY ASS HOLES! YOU FUCKERS ARE IN OUR WAY SO I SUGGEST YOUGROW A BRAIN IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS AND MOVE THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!"_

Zoey got the attention of every one of the infected just like she had hoped. The screaming and snarling started immediately as the horde took in the survivors. She was waiting any minute for one of them to start screaming _BRAINNNNNZZZZZZ_. All at once the infected charged at Zoey.

Raising her hand in the air, she waited a few more seconds for them to get closer. It was an adrenaline rush that she had never known before. To see death staring you in the face and knowing damn well you better act before it's too late. "_SUCK ON THIS BITCHES," _she screamed as she threw the pipe bomb over the horde's head.

She watched, fascinated as they stopped, almost in unison, and turned to chase the pipe bomb. Surrounding the tiny device, the infected ripped and fought their way to be the ones to get to the bomb.

Her senses woke up as the bomb went off. She saw the blood, thick as smoke; surround the area where bodies used to be. She smelled the decayed, burnt flesh of the now incinerated infected. The sound of the bomb exploding was loud enough to make the deaf hear.

The few remaining infected were taken care of by Zoey and the guys. She decided that she could get used to the M-16 in her hands. One after the other the things tried to get to her and every time they fell at her feet, dead…..for good.

"Guys, that is how you take care of a horde of dumb asses," she said smirking.

She felt Francis come up behind her and wrap his arms around her. He proceeded to kiss her neck very sensually as he whispered in her ear, "Darlin, you keep acting like this and I won't be responsible for my actions". Finally, for the first time, Zoey felt like Francis' equal and not something like his charge.

They continued to walk down Park circle until they came to the subway station. Zoey really didn't know if it was a good idea to go underground, but it couldn't be any worse than being wide open on the streets. As she stepped up to the stairs of the entrance, she turned to address the guys, "We have two choices here. We could either keep going like we are and run into more of the horde or we can take our chances down in the subway system and pray that not many people used the subway they day the infection went crazy".

Not a word was spoken, for a moment, as the men thought it through. Zoey knew how risky it was to venture down there but it would make the trip shorter. After a few minutes, Bill shook his head in agreement. "We go where you think is quicker Zoey."

Ascending the stairs, Zoey led the men as quickly as she could. It was easy to get lost down here and with little light, it made it damn near impossible to walk. It was total destruction, with subway carts turned on their side and some missing a wall or a ceiling. They tried to stay as close to the wall as possible as the moved through the underground subway.

Every once in a while, they would run into a pocket of resistance but nothing remotely compared to a horde. She could feel the weight of fatigue start to surround them like a blanket. They needed to get somewhere fast, to rest, before their bodies gave out on them. There were many rooms off to the side of the subway station but none that would be sturdy enough to keep the infected out. She wasn't going to be picky but a room with a shower in it would be heavenly right about now.

As if the fates finally heard her, she noticed a metal door to the left of them about forty yards away. Motioning with her finger, she got the guys attention and pointed out the room to them. She could see the relief in their eyes as they looked upon their safe room.

Not taking any more time than necessary, Zoey and the guys made a run for it. She could already feel the sleep taking over her body and she would soon welcome it with open arms.

As she reached for the door, her hand froze in midair. There was a sound coming from the other side of the door. It was a sound that cut her to the core, like a million knives all over her body. The sound was so different from that of the screaming and scratching of the infected. This was like a child that had just lost a best friend, or a woman that had just lost a lover. Crying filled every crevice of Zoey's ears and she stood their staring at the closed door. Someone was crying on the other end….could it be another human? She knew of no infected that would or could cry.

Without thinking or talking it over with the guys, Zoey turned the door to step in.

**Ok y'all, I'm so sorry that it is so short, but I wanted to do something to show the change that Zoey is going through. Since the beginning of this story I wanted to show a gradual change in Zoey, beginning from a scared child to the awesome woman that we know from the game. Some of you might have thought that I was making her too weak or too dependant on Francis and the truth is that is exactly what I was doing. Realistically, someone like Zoey would not go all bad ass from the beginning. Come on she is very young and she would be scared out of her mind, but slowly our Zoey is starting to make an appearance. She's had enough of being pushed around and pissed on and she wants to be as good and as brave as the guys. Please REVIEW!! If you do that I will try to get another chapter out tomorrow. Thanks so much guys. Another question…..LEMON OR NO LEMON….YOU DECIDE, JUST LET ME KNOW IN A COMMENT AND I WILL GO FROM THERE!**


	18. Author's Notes 2

Hello everyone! Yes it's me and no I have not forgotten about this story! I know it has been forever since I updated and I am truly, truly sorry. I have been soooooo busy these days and I tried to fight it but another story popped in my head and I just couldn't concentrate on the next chapter, but that is slowly fading so be looking for an update in the next few days. I promise all of you that I will get back to this story but I just wanted to be able to totally give 100% to this story and I couldn't at the time but that will soon change, **I PROMISE!!!!! To all of you that have left comments….Thanks soooo much!! **


	19. No Safe Place

**Hello everyone! Yes I'm back and again I want to say how sorry I am that it has been forever since an update. I have been so busy that I haven't even gotten to play the game in forever which sucks. I've missed writing this story and hearing from all of you. I hope that I won't be distracted like this again and I can continue to get updates out there sooner. Thank you to everyone that has left comments. To all of the new readers, thanks for taking the time to read this baby! Now…on with the show!!!!**

In the seconds that it took Zoey to grab the doorknob and turn it, she heard a voice screaming in her head to stop. The feeling of dread dropped upon her head in a death grip hold. Something just wasn't right. There was one thing that her parents and her favorite horror movies always taught her and that was go with your instincts. Right now her instincts were telling her to run like hell.

Zoey stopped her movements, staring at the door in front of her as if she could see past it. She was confused as to why she had such an urge not to progress. Looking down, Zoey saw her hand, which was on the doorknob, shaking uncontrollably.

The crying was louder now that the door was open a little. Zoey found that she was frozen in place. Trapped in her own inner battle, Zoey felt Francis' hand come to rest at the small of her back.

"Zoey, what's wrong?" he whispered.

She did not speak at first. Whatever was making the crying noise in this room was not human. Zoey had no idea how she knew this, she just did. She liked to think that she learned a little bit from all of the horror movies she had seen, starting with if it don't feel right….it most likely isn't.

"Francis, I need you to back up please," she whispered.

"What?" he said a little louder than she had liked.

The crying stopped immediately. The sound that replaced the crying confirmed Zoey's fears. Growling, starting low and steadily getting louder made Zoey suck in a breath.

Zoey looked around frantically to see where the thing was, but she could see nothing but darkness. The door was halfway opened and she desperately wanted to close it. Then it hit her, just because they couldn't see the thing didn't mean the thing couldn't see them.

She heard a rustling sound as if someone was getting to their feet. The last thing she saw, before the metal door was back in front of her sight, was huge, round red eyes.

Zoey, Francis, Bill and Louis took a couple of steps back from the door. Looking over at Francis, she could see that he saw exactly what she had seen. Francis' face was white as a ghost as he breathed heavily.

"I don't want to fuckin' wait around and find out what that fucker was. I suggest we find somewhere else to stay for the night," Francis said through deep breaths.

As they walked off, the growling slowly turned back to the gut wrenching crying. For a moment Zoey found herself feeling sorry for whatever it was. She was used to the screaming and the growling, but the crying and sobbing was something that Zoey didn't think she could get used to. It sounded too human for her. She had a strong feeling that they all would meet the creature, that was reduced to sobbing, on down the road. When that time came, she wouldn't feel any sorrow for it any longer…she would blow its damn head off.

A half hour later found Zoey and the others making their way to the center of the underground subway. Their way was blocked by overturned subway carts and something that made Zoey stopped her movement. She stared at the horrific scene in front of her. The smell was that of a thousand bodies being laid out for the sun to bake right down to the bone. She grabbed her mouth to stop the bile that had risen in her throat. She heard someone let out a strangled sob and turned to see Louis bending over to throw up.

There, not twenty feet from them were the bodies of some forty men, women and children. The blood still ran from their broken bodies down the sidewalks towards Zoey, Francis, Louis and Bill.

"They're recent," Bill said in a strangled whisper.

"If they had recently died, then what on earth is that smell?' she asked unsteadily.

It was something that she had never smelt before. It was so heavy that it was as if you could cut it with a knife. Zoey opened her mouth to breathe. She could hear Louis coughing up what was left in his stomach. These people had been alive a short time ago and now they were no more. Zoey knew that there were millions of people that were dead, yet this group of people was hitting her hard. Maybe it was because of the children that lay dead beside their parents.

Her eyes roamed the faces of the dead. Some were not recognizable and Zoey tried not to look at those. Her eyes came to rest on one body in particular. She slowly walked towards the body of a boy. Leaning down beside him, Zoey couldn't help but reach down and grab his hand. The similarities were eerie, yet she knew that it wasn't who she thought it was. She knew this because she had left the body of her brother back at her parent's home. Still, this boy looked so much like Jamie that Zoey felt she had lost him twice. His blue eyes stared unmoving at her. His throat had been slashed and the blood continued to seep out.

"I'm so sorry," she said in a whispered sob.

This boy reminded her of all that she had lost. He reminded her of Jamie and her parents and that she would never again see them.

Looking down at the boy's clothing, Zoey noticed something caked to him. Reaching over, she touched what looked to be slime on his shirt. Rubbing it in between her fingers, she couldn't help but gag at the smell of it. She now knew where the horrid smell was coming from. Looking around at the other dead bodies, she noticed that they too had the same slime on them. What in the hell had happened to them?

She heard Francis lean down beside her. "Francis what happened here?" she asked.

He didn't say anything at first, as he took in the scene. "I don't know darlin'."

"There…there is something on them Francis," Zoey said horrified.

"Zoey, we gotta go darlin'," Francis said softly.

She looked back at the dead blue eyes of the boy. She did not want to just leave him here, yet she had no idea where to take him and the others.

She heard Francis sigh as he reached for her arm. Zoey allowed him to help her up but immediately stopped. Leaning back down, she reached over and slowly closed the eyes of the boy whom she didn't know.

Standing on unsteady feet, she allowed Francis to help her walk until she could recover her nerves.

Reaching Bill and Louis, Zoey stood upright and continued their journey to safety. Turning around, Zoey looked at the dead boy, who looked so much like Jamie, one more time and then proceeded on.

They walked through the darkened subway station in complete silence. Zoey found it odd that they didn't run into many infected, yet they had found a large group of people dead. Something was off about this place and Zoey had a bad feeling they would soon find out what it was.

They came to a complete stop, looking around them at ways to get around the broken area. The only way around was through a subway cart that was standing upright. Bill led the way, followed by Louis, Zoey and Francis. They walked closed together, looking around in every direction for a threat.

Zoey held her M-16 close to her body as she scanned the area outside the subway cart windows. There was nothing to be seen except for the occasional fire and rubble.

Coming to the end of the subway cart, Zoey saw a dead end ahead of them. They all climbed out and noticed a room off to their right. Louis and Francis made their way over to look inside while Zoey and Bill went to the left. The first thing Zoey saw was a door leading to a set of stairs leading upwards.

Walking towards them, a sound made her stop. Whoever it was making the noise sounded as though they were sick. It was a belching, nauseating sound. Zoey grabbed her stomach as she felt herself getting sick at the sound.

Slowly turning to her left, between the subway cart and the wall, Zoey saw someone standing there. She knew the moment she saw it that it was not human. Boils as big as her head were protruding from its stomach, neck and face. It was bloated beyond all recognition. It did not try to charge at them.

"Holy hell!" she screamed.

Raising the gun she aimed it at the abomination. She heard Bill's intake of breath and the sound of him raising his gun as well, but it was too late.

As if in slow motion, Zoey watched the thing open it's mouth and greenish-yellow bile came gushing out…in her and Bill's direction. One moment Zoey could see clearly and the next she was blinded.

Zoey let out a scream of surprise as she stumbled backwards. She ran into Bill and they both went sprawling towards the ground. Their weapons fell from their hands as they frantically tried wiping the horribly smelling substance from their eyes.

Two things occurred to Zoey in that instant. One was the sound of a shotgun ringing out through the silent tunnel followed by the sound of skin ripping apart. She did not need to see to understand that the disfigured thing in front of them had been blown to pieces.

She felt someone grab her arms and she started to fight. It was going to be hard to fight off the infected if she could not see but she sure as hell was going to try.

"Zoey, it's me!" Francis said.

She stopped struggling with him and held on to him for dear life. "Francis I can't see!" she said frantically.

Zoey heard a ripping sound coming from Francis' direction and felt a piece of cloth on her eyes. She grabbed it from his hands and desperately scrubbed her eyes. The smell was something that she would never get used to no matter how long it stayed caked to her. She realized now where the slime had come from when they found the group of dead bodies. It was the same slime and smell and now it was on her and Bill.

Opening her eyes again, she focused on Francis. She could tell that he was having trouble breathing around her.

"Sorry darlin'," he said apologetically.

"It's okay," she whispered.

The scream from the horde sounded in the distance and Zoey scrambled to her feet. The four humans looked around them to see which way they were coming. The horrible realization sunk in that the horde was coming in every direction.

"You have got to be shitting me!" Bill said as he spat on the ground.

Zoey looked at the older man and noticed he was covered from head to toe in bile like she was.

"Head for the stairs!" Louis screamed over the oncoming howls.

They ran as fast as they could only to be stopped by a group of infected descending the stairs. They charged down the stairs screaming. Zoey and the guys turned and ran towards the room that Francis and Louis had inspected earlier. Zoey could hear footsteps behind them as they came to a dead end in the room. Turning, she pushed her back as far as it would go into the wall as she raised her M-16. Bill was standing right beside her with his gun raised at the oncoming horde. Francis and Louis had taken position on one knee in front of them.

Zoey watched with wide eyes as the horde of infected fought their way into the room. The flashlight from their guns shown into the crazed eyes of the killers and Zoey noticed right away they were looking in her direction.

The first group found their way through the pile of infected and charged towards them. Bullets went flying as Zoey prayed they would have enough ammo to fight off this onslaught.

When one infected fell dead another would replace it. They kept coming at them with no end in sight. There were too many of them to keep back and they watched horrified as they were surrounded.

Francis and Louis stopped shooting and started swinging the butts of their guns at the infected. It pushed them back but they kept coming forward. Zoey started to notice that the horde wasn't trying to attack Francis and Louis. Their whole attention was trained at her and Bill.

Over the screaming and the grunting of her teammates, Zoey realized that the horde was only interested in her and Bill. She understood what had killed those people. They must have been attacked by one of those horrible smelling things and the smell got the attention of the horde. If forty people could not stand up to the horde how were four people going to do it.

Taking cover behind Francis' back, Zoey grabbed the last pipe bomb they had. If they ran into anymore horde after this they were going to be royally screwed.

Picking up the small object, Zoey stood up. Before she could throw it, something grabbed her from the side, pulling her away from the guys. She dropped the pipe bomb and her gun as she felt herself being dragged towards the door.

"HELP!" she screamed as she fought against the hand that held her.

She could hear Francis' screams as he fought to get to her, but there were too many of them.

"THROW THE FUCKING PIPE BOMB!" she yelled hysterically.

Zoey felt like she was being ripped apart as hands and fingers started pulling her in every direction. She desperately fought back with her arms and feet, kicking and hitting anything that came close.

"TAKE THIS YOU FUCKING ASSWHOLES!" Francis screamed.

Zoey dropped hard to the ground as she was let go. Shaking her head to clear her fuzzy mind, she watched the horde scramble for the object. She had only a moment to realize that she was too close to the pipe bomb. She tried to scramble away but didn't have time. At the last second she felt a huge amount of weight land on her and felt the wind being knocked out of her.

The sound of the pipe bomb was deafening in the room. Zoey was pushed back by the blast and she hit the wall hard. She cried out in pain as her head made contact with the hard concrete surface. She wanted to pass out from the pain. No headache had ever been this bad. Zoey knew in an instant that she had a concussion.

As the room quieted down again, Zoey couldn't find the strength to move. The silence was eerie compared to the screams from the horde that had been there moments earlier. "Ohhhh….fuck me. Is everybody okay?" Bill asked groggily.

"Damn! I feel like I've been hit by an eighteen wheeler," Louis said.

"Zoey, Francis…y'all okay?" Bill asked getting to his feet.

Zoey tried to speak but found it only made her sick to her stomach to do anything but lay there. Closing her eyes, she wished for oblivion. She wished for anything that would make this pain in her head go away.

"Come on guys, answer me!" Bill said more forcefully.

The moments past and Zoey realized that Francis hadn't spoken yet. Opening her eyes, she looked around for him but found that she couldn't see anything in the darkness of the room.

"Francis," she whispered.

"Zoey, sweetie is that you?" Bill asked concerned.

"Bill…where's Francis?" Zoey said as loud as she could.

She felt a wave of nausea as she tried to sit up. Waiting a moment, she fought the urge to puke and continued to sit up.

"Francis where are you, you son of a bitch!" Bill said in a worried voice.

Coming to a sitting position, Zoey felt something pushing up against her. Reaching down to feel, her hand came in contact with some kind of liquid. She was touching someone's face and the first thought she had was that she was touching someone's bloody face. She wasn't sure if it was an infected or not.

Bringing her hand away from the face, she felt further down. Her hand froze and she let out a gasp. She would know the feeling of that material anywhere. She grabbed a handful of Francis' vest and squeezed tightly.

"Someone hand me a light now!" she choked.

"Zoey what's the matter?" Louis said as he raised his flashlight.

Zoey let out a sob as the beam landed on a battered Francis. His face and chest were completely covered in blood. She could see a deep cut going from the corner of his left eye to his ear.

"Francis? Come on baby, please answer me," she begged.

There was no response. Zoey started to feel like she was coming undone. The ringing in her ears and the pounding in her head was nothing compared to the shear panic in her heart. She felt Bill and Louis come up beside her and try to move her aside. She would not budge.

"Zoey, you have to move and let me check him," Bill pleaded.

Zoey couldn't take her eyes off of him. He had saved her life but at what cost to his own. She felt Bill pry her away from Francis' body as he went to work on checking him over. Louis walked up and wrapped his arms around her and started to pull her away from the two men, but Bill's words stopped them both in terror.

"He's not breathing," Bill whispered.

**To all of you who hate cliffhangers….sorry! LOL! Don't worry; the witch will make an appearance later in the chapters. When I wrote the last chapter a month ago, I had every intention of letting her go all out with our survivors, but over the past few weeks I had changed my mind. Never fear, she will be back in all of her horrible glory. As for Francis….guess you just gotta keep reading. Remember to comment because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Ha-ha!!!!**


	20. Will It Ever Be Easy

**A/N: Hey everyone, it's me! I know that I promised y'all that I wouldn't take so long with the updates again and I'm sorry that I broke that promise…LOL! Actually, I have had this chapter done for a month, but I was torn on whether to completely redo it or just post it as is. I was so caught up in worrying, was it too emotional or too this and too that, was the characters too OOC and what y'all would think about it (don't get me wrong, I think that what y'all think is important) that I lost track of what I wanted it to be. I had to go back and remember this story is about humanity and how these four people cope with some of the worst things imaginable. I like this chapter and how it turned out…if you don't agree with me well then, sorry for the disappointment! I love these characters and I want to take them to their very limits sometimes. As this chapter will show. Thanks so much for hanging in there with me and keep those COMMENTS coming! You guys rock in my book….and to Krohnos, happy late birthday. I know this chapter missed your birthday by three days, but better late then never right? ****J Enjoy!!**

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"He's not breathing!" Bill's words shot through Zoey's heart like a lighting beam. All the strength seeped out of her at that moment and she fell to the ground taking Louis with her. She watched helplessly as Bill started chest compressions on Francis. Bill was softly counting out loud in the darkness of the room.

"One, two, three…come on Francis," Bill pleaded.

Zoey felt time slip away into nothingness. Watching Francis' body move as Bill pounded away at his chest was too much for Zoey. She felt Louis grab her arms and try to stand her upright again. Zoey felt as if her body weighed as much as a Tank. She was paralyzed with the thought that Francis was gone.

"COME ON YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Bill screamed.

Francis did not move. He did not take so much as a breath. He was as lifeless as her parents and brother were and in that moment Zoey felt another piece of her heart break. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to end this way. They were all supposed to make it to safety, not die in this war zone of a subway station.

Crawling on her hands and knees, Zoey found her way to Francis and Bill. Bill did not stop to as she went to the other side of Francis. Looking into his lifeless face, Zoey felt the hot tears fall down. She had promised that no more tears would be shed, that she would be strong, but she never imagined that this would happen. She always felt that she would be the first to go…not Francis.

"One, two, three, four, five…" Bill kept counting in desperation that Francis would come back to them.

Zoey looked in the old man's face and saw complete and utter defeat. She knew Bill was about to give up and it ignited a fire within her so hot that she felt it throughout her whole entire being.

Grabbing Francis' neck, she tilted it back and started giving him mouth to mouth. With each ending compression sequence Zoey would breath her life into the man that she loved. As each breathe went from her body, she sent with it a prayer for a miracle. She wasn't sure that she had any left but at this point she hoped against hope.

She could feel Bill getting more worn out by the minute and she called for Louis to take his place. The young man sank to his knees and took up where Bill left off. Bill sat defeated as Zoey and Louis worked to revive Francis. She could hear the muffled cries of the old man and it made her more determined to get Francis back.

Time continued to slip away from them but there was no change in Francis. It could have been five minutes, ten minutes or two that had passed since Bill had uttered those horrible words and Zoey wouldn't have known the difference.

Arms wrapped around her small frame stopping her movement towards Francis' mouth. Zoey fought against the prison that stopped her from trying to save his life.

"Zoey, it's over. We've done all we can do sweetie," Bill whispered behind her.

Zoey watched in shock as Louis slowed his compressions until he totally stopped. It hit her that the two men had given up on Francis.

"FUCK YOU BOTH! WE LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND!" Zoey screamed in fury.

Pushing Bill off of her, Zoey started the compressions again. She begged Francis to breathe with each compression and air she gave him. She had always heard that when someone was close to death their whole entire life flashes before them, yet she was very much alive and still she saw every moment with this man. She felt every feeling that they had felt together, love…fear…happiness…sadness….anger. It came at her in waves and it nearly crumbled her to the ground.

Before she knew it, her compressions had turned into to beatings. Pounding her fists into Francis' chest she screamed out in agony. Every fiber of herself felt the loss as she rested her head upon his chest. She begged for his heart to beat.

Raising her head, she looked into the face of the man she loved and felt a fury of which she had never felt before. Getting to her feet, she stumbled out of the room towards the door leading to the stairs. She passed by her M-16 gun and picked it up. She heard Bill and Louis call her name but she was too far gone for them to bring her back.

Coming around to the side of the subway where the bottom half of the infected abomination lay, she took the end of her gun and started to beat it. Blood, guts, body parts flew into the air in every direction. Zoey felt a rage so strong that if she didn't get it out it would destroy her. It was because of this thing that she had lost Francis. It was because of this thing that Francis lay on the cold hard floor of a darkened room lifeless.

"Zoey stop it!" Louis yelled as he grabbed her from behind.

Zoey fought him. She needed to do this. She needed to beat and scream till there was nothing left. They didn't understand. To them they had just lost a friend, a comrade. To Zoey she had lost her future. There were no guarantees in this kind of world, so she should have known better than to believe in happy endings.

"Bill helps me!" Louis screamed.

Zoey was no match for both men so she stopped fighting. They brought her down to the ground hard as each of them held on to one another tightly. She could hear the brokenness of their tears. Zoey, Bill and Louis sat on the ground of the dirty subway in a tight embrace. Zoey felt the fatigue take over as her broken spirit let go.

Finally, Louis spoke in a soft voice, "We got to keep moving. Another group of infected could come back at any time."

Zoey couldn't do it. She couldn't leave Francis behind. She had had to leave her parents and her brother behind. She had had to leave that sweet looking boy who looked so much like Jamie behind. She would not leave another person behind.

Looking up at Bill and Louis, Zoey shook her head no. "I won't leave him. Go…I'll be alright," she whispered.

"Zoey, you know we aren't going to do that. You got to use your head here. He wouldn't have wanted this and you know it." Bill said forcefully.

"He wouldn't have wanted to be dead either!" she yelled.

"Zoey, Bill's right. You gotta keep moving. Francis wouldn't have wanted you to die because of him. If you give up then his death was for nothing," Louis said.

Zoey looked at the men in front of her and knew they were right. Francis would have wanted her to be the strong woman that he knew she was. He would not have wanted her to throw her life away because of him, yet her heart was telling her differently. She wanted to stay with him because if she went forward he would not be there. He would be left in this dark subway tunnel while she was expected to move on. It just didn't make sense to her how this could have happened.

Turning, she looked towards the room where he was. Grief swept her away in tears. Closing her eyes, she turned her head towards the stairs. There was only one choice that she had and she knew it was the only way.

Zoey held her arms out for the two men to help her up. She stood on unsteady legs, yet she refused to fall back down in a heap of anguish. She would make sure that Francis' death wasn't in vain. Drying her tears, she looked at Bill and Louis and gave them a nod to continue on their path to safety.

Reaching the stairs, Zoey took one last look at the room where Francis was. "I will always love you," she whispered. The tears continued to fall and she welcomed them. One step… two steps, each step she took was one more step away from him. Each step was one more away from the only person that had ever captured her heart.

She got half way up the stairs and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Something in the distance made her freeze in shock.

Moment's past and she shook her head, as if trying to shake herself from a trance. Raising her foot towards the next step…the events that took place next happened in a blur.

"_Zoey." _It was a faint whisper, one that would be swept away in the slightest of breezes, yet it was there. With her foot frozen in the air, Zoey held her breath to hear it again. She heard Bill and Louis stop at the top of the stairs but didn't turn to look at them. She was so caught up in hearing the sound again that nothing else mattered. An infected could come at that moment and she wouldn't give a damn.

"Come on…come on!" she softly pleaded. Zoey took a step towards the bottom and was interrupted by Bill's voice. "Zoey, what's wrong?" It was only a whisper yet it sounded too loud to her ears. For a moment she was afraid that Bill had spoken over the sound that she had heard just a moment ago.

"_Zoey." _There it was again. Zoey's breathing kicked up as she took several steps towards the door.

It took a moment to register that her momentum had stopped. Looking at her arm, she saw that Louis had a firm hold on it. Looking into the young man's face, she saw nothing but pity. Was she going crazy? She could have sworn that she heard the sound twice. "Zoey," Louis said with a sigh. "You have to find a way to…"

Louis did not get to finish his sentence as the young man stopped and listened. Zoey did not think it was possible but she watched as his face went completely white. Had he heard it too? She watched Louis pick his head up and turn his eyes towards the place where they had left Francis and she knew that he had heard it.

"_Help, somebody please!" _

That pleading voice was all it took to get Zoey, Bill and Louis moving to the place they had just come from. Was it possible? Zoey took off in a sprint to reach the room before the other two men could get there.

The room had grown dark again without their flashlights and Zoey went to her hands and knees to feel around. She only knew the area where they had left Francis, but didn't know exactly where he would be. She was afraid to call out to him, afraid that he wouldn't answer her and that it had all been in her head.

"Who's there?" The voice was weak yet still recognizable. Zoey couldn't help the cry that escaped her lips as she headed in the direction of the voice.

"Francis!" she cried.

There was no answer at first and Zoey stopped her progress. "Zoey, is that you? I can't see a damn thing." Francis' voice was so weak but it filled Zoey with overwhelming joy.

"Bill, Louis, get in here now!" she screamed.

As the two men made there way into the room, the darkness turned to light. The room was filled with the soft light from the flashlights as they shown them in the direction of where they had left Francis. To everyone's shock, the man was looking around as if to remember where he was.

Zoey, Bill and Louis were frozen in place watching Francis look around the room until his eyes landed on them. No one spoke for a few moments. None of them knew what to say.

"What? You guys look like you've seen a damn ghost!" Francis finally said.

Zoey burst out laughing. It was the kind of laugh that would cause people to think that she was crazy, yet she could not stop it.

Slowly, she got to her feet and walked over to where Francis' was laying and leaned down to sit beside him. Their eyes locked on each other and neither needed to say anymore. Both understood what had just happened and what could have been. Zoey reached a shaking hand towards Francis' face and lightly touched his cheek.

"Francis!" she whispered.

"It's okay Zoey…I told you that you couldn't get rid of me that easy."

In one swift motion, Zoey wrapped her arms around Francis and brought him up to her. She held on to him as tightly as she could as she cried and laughed all at the same time.

"Owww…um, baby….shit this hurts!" Francis said in pain.

"Oh God Francis, I'm so sorry!" Zoey eased her hold on him and supported his weight. He leaned against her as he took in a shallow breath. She could hear him grunting in pain.

Bill and Louis stooped down on the other side of Francis as they looked him over, not really believing what they were seeing. Francis took them all in and tried to give them a smile. His actions only resulted in a fit of coughing and wheezing.

"God I hate subways," he grumbled through coughs.

"Shhhh….Francis take it easy," Zoey soothed.

Zoey scooted to the front of his head and let him lean against her. It seemed every movement caused him pain and she started to worry about his condition.

"Francis, I need to look you over. Tell me where it hurts the most," Bill said

"Well, I can tell ya it hurts everywhere but it really hurts in my sides," Francis grunted.

Zoey watched as Bill slowly placed his hands on Francis' sides. She had to grab his shoulders tightly as Francis howled in pain. His shallow breathing sped up and a fit of curse words escaped his mouth. Bill released the pressure on his ribs and spoke, "It looks like you got a few broken ribs."

"It feels like my whole fuckin' side is on fire!" he said angrily.

"Where else does it hurt?" Bill asked.

"Mostly the ribs and my head but I can take that."

"Do you think you can stand?" Louis chimed in.

Francis didn't answer at first. Zoey thought he was trying to prep himself for the pain that was about to come.

Without speaking, Francis tried to lift himself into a sitting position. Half way through he stopped and grabbed his left side screaming out in pain. Zoey felt helpless watching him in so much pain but there wasn't anything she could do.

"Help me!" he screamed through clenched teeth.

Bill and Louis grabbed his arms and gently sat him up. Zoey used her body for Francis to lean back on. He was breathing fast as the wave of pain fell upon him. His muscles were so tense as his body was wracked with spasms. Sweat ran through his blood stained face down to his neck. Francis leaned his head back against Zoey's shoulder as he closed his eyes, fighting through the onslaught of torture.

"Rest for a second Francis, and then we will try getting you to your feet." Bill said.

Francis just shook his head to let them know he had heard Bill. Zoey rested her face against the side of Francis' face and said a prayer of thanks. She had come to realize that her sack of Miracles had not run out yet.

They sat there for a while letting Francis get as much strength back as he could. Louis stood watch at the entrance of the room but no other infected was seen. Zoey could not have been more thankful for that. She wasn't sure that they could have handled a group of them at that moment. They had been going for a while and now what happened to Francis was added to their stress and burden. If they didn't find a safe room fast none of them would last much longer.

"Bill, look in my backpack and hand me the first aid kit. Francis I'm going to help you out of that shirt. If it's your ribs then we have to wrap you," Zoey said commandingly.

She watched Bill do as she had asked as she slowly helped Francis out of his vest and shirt. She had to stop a couple of times as Francis screamed in pain when his arms were raised in the air. She gave him as much patience as it took to get the job done. Once his shirt was off, she took the bandage and started wrapping it around his waist. Bill helped her to tighten it as much as they could get it. Using the whole thing, Zoey pinned it together to keep it from moving and then stopped to look at her work. She didn't know much about the medical field but she thought that she had done a good enough job.

"Does it feel alright?" she asked softly.

Francis gave her a small smile as he answered, "Feels fine. It's actually taken some of the pain away."

Zoey felt relief in hearing that.

Bill took Louis' place as the young man helped Francis to his feet. They allowed Francis to get his footing before taking a few steps ahead. Louis tried not to buckle under Francis' weight. Francis wasn't sure if he could walk on his own.

Louis led him out of the room into the subway tunnel. Zoey and Bill led the way towards the stairs and they all made their way up to the top.

Stopping, they saw another darkened room, this one much bigger.

"You gotta be kidding me." Bill grumbled.

"Someone give me a gun." Francis whispered.

Louis handed him the shotgun that he was carrying. They all watched as Francis cocked it with one hand and smiled wickedly.

"Even with broken ribs and a fucking concussion, you are still trying to be the bad ass," Bill muttered.

"Look up bad ass in the dictionary old man and you will see my picture beside it"

Bill rolled his eyes as he turned back towards the room and the occupants inside. "Well, it's now or never I guess," Louis said softly.

Zoey took a deep breath as she put one foot in front of the other and was swallowed by the darkness. The only light guiding them was the flashlights from their weapons. It only took seconds before the screaming and growling made their way towards them. Zoey welcomed that sound this time. She had the taste of revenge in her mouth and oh how sweet it tasted.

____________________________________________________________________________________

The ground was cold against her back as she stared up at the ceiling. Zoey was trying to control her breathing as was the guys. She could hear the wheezing coughs coming from Francis who was lying beside her in the same position. Bill was on his hands and knees and for a moment Zoey worried about his lack of oxygen. Louis was plastered against the wall of the safe room in front of her, beads of sweat dripping off of his face. Her memory took her back to the events that had just played out…

They had run and fought for their lives through the darkened room, only to come to a much larger…well occupied room. The only way through that particular room was a door that held a fucking loud alarm when opened. Of course it would be their luck that that was the only way through, and the alarm would be a magnet for the horde.

Zoey remembered the horror of thinking about facing another horde. None of them were in any condition to handle that large a group. There was no way of avoiding it though.

Thank God for those horror movies that she used to watch. Even though she couldn't remember the name of the film, an idea came to her. It was crazy and with their luck probably wouldn't work, but they had no other alternative. When she told the guys her plans, they looked at her as if she had turned into an infected.

After several minutes of convincing them, they finally agreed and her plan was in motion.

Gathering every gas can she could find she placed them all around a particular corner of the room. She helped Francis over to the corner as Bill and Louis followed. She said a quick prayer that her plan would work and went to sound the alarm.

Just like clockwork, the horde's scream resonated all around them, and the mass came barreling towards their location. Zoey waited as her heart thundered in her chest. 'Just a little closer…just a few feet more'.

"NOW!" she screamed.

All four of them raised their guns and started shooting towards the gas cans. Flames erupted in a dance of bright orange, red and yellow. Screams of agony replaced the screams of rage. Even as the flames burned high and bright, the infected continued to advance. Zoey watched in sick fascination as they walked straight through the fires, falling to a crisp, burned death.

The infected were so hell bent on getting to Zoey and the guys that even a sure death would not detour them. The smell and the heat of the flames, soaking in flesh and blood were becoming thick and sickening and Zoey had to hold her nose to keep the bile from consuming her.

Her plan was working like a charm and yet there were consequences. There were no words to explain the gruesome sight before her and just for a split second, she regretted what she had done. This was no way to die, but then she remembered that these things were already dead. Everything always came back to her old saying…it was either those creatures or her and her family. That thought strengthened her resolve and she raised her head high as not one single infected came close to them. Each one fell by the flames hand.

When it was seen that the horde were taken care of, they ran. They ran as fast as they could through the now opened door towards the rooms above. To everyone's relief, they found some ammo in one of the rooms and restocked. They had come so close to having no bullets left.

After stocking up, they made a run through the halls, checking rooms for things that they could use and came up short. There was really nothing to find and so they kept going.

Coming to another set of stairs, these leading downward, they had to stop for a moment to let Francis rest. Zoey couldn't hide the concern on her face as she watched him struggle to breathe. As much as she was relieved that he was alive, he wasn't out of the woods yet. None of them were and the longer they waited in the open like this, the worse their chances of being seen was.

Francis shook his head to let them know he was ready, and again they were off. At the end of the stairs, Zoey was surprised to see that it led to an open room and then outside.

They made quick work of the few infected in the room, as the looked warily outside. Zoey wondered just where they would go. Being inside in the open was dangerous, but being outside in the open was damn near suicidal.

"Now what?" Louis asked, as if he had heard her mind.

"There!" Bill said excitedly, pointing to a building a ways away. Even though it was none to close, you could barely make out the metal door inside that Zoey and the rest had affectionately come to know as the safe room.

"Okay, so what…we just make a run for it or semi-run in my case?" Francis asked.

No one answered him as they all wondered the same thing…could Francis make it? Bill was the first to speak, "We ain't got much a choice son. It's either run and try, or do nothing and die." Bill grabbed the door and jerked it. This was it. They were almost to safety. Just a few more minutes and it would be over…for now!

Bill led the way, with Louis and Francis in the middle and Zoey watching their backs. She held the M-16 in a deathlike grip as she gunned down the infected. Every once in a while Francis would turn and look at her just to make sure she was still with them. She could see the fear in his eyes but he knew that she could hold her own. Zoey had proven that in more ways than one.

So that is why she was stunned when both Louis and Francis turned around and pointed their guns at her. Had they lost their damn minds or what? "What the…" she started to scream, but their commands stopped her at once.

Louis and Francis screamed in unison, "GET DOWN!" Zoey did not hesitate, for their screams did not give her room to. She hit the rough pavement hard as her skin broke underneath her palms. The sound of gunshots above her head was deafening. Looking behind her, Zoey watched with wide eyes as a hunter, in mid flight, came crashing down to earth with an earsplitting scream as bullets pounded his chest.

If they had not turned around, Zoey would have been caught in the hunter's thrashing claws. How had she let herself get distracted and missed him? She didn't have time to ponder that question as hands came down and grabbed her arms. Louis and Francis stood her back on her feet and they proceeded to run again.

They were almost there, Zoey could see the safe room clearly now and she made herself speed up. She started to tell her worn out body that it would only be a fe`w more seconds. Zoey started to feel as though she wouldn't make it.

Suddenly, the buildings high ceilings came in to view above her head and she realized that she was inside. Just a broken down, wooden counter was in her way and she forced her body to find the strength to climb over it.

She watched as Bill ran through the safe room first and turned to shoot the infected that were on Zoey's heels. She let herself breathe for a moment as she watched Louis and Francis run in next. Her family had made it, they were safe…all of them.

"Zoey…DIVE!" Bill screamed. Zoey did not hesitate as she dove, stomach first, into the room. She slid a couple of feet before Francis' body stopped her. Turning on her back, the last thing she saw before the door closed was the pink tongue of a smoker.

Coming back to the present, Zoey let a shudder run down her body as she replayed the memories. It had been a close call, but when had it not been that way. She could hear Bill talking but his words were lost in her muddled mind. Before she could stop herself, Zoey let herself be taken under into complete nothingness.


	21. The Dream

**HELLOOOO!!! Yes it is me and yes I am still alive! I know it has been forever since I gave you all an update and for that I am sooooo sorry…on my knees sorry! I've had all kinds of crap going on in RL and I needed to take care of them first (some excuse huh?) lol! Anyway, I've gotten numerous comments on this story and to all of you, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! First and foremost, we've had a death in the family…my XBOX 360 Elite was diagnosed with the Red Rings of Death a couple of days ago, so we had to put her down! I had just bought the new L4D2 game and played all of two parts of one campaign when it went red on me! I was NOT happy, but last night we went and bought a new Xbox 360 so I'm all good again! Okay, so the new L4D2 game….good things, I love the new infected, freakin kicks ass!! I can't say too much about the game because well I haven't played it all that much, so let me know what you think about it. I have to say that I'm kinda not liking the new characters….I know, I know…but I like my old one's…Francis/Zoey..duh!! I'll get used to them though, I know I will….I do however like Nick, lol!! Oh, and not sure that I like that the witch moves around…there was just something about her on her knees crying, kinda felt more sorry for her than I do now…weird I know! Lol! Anyway, enough talking and on with the story…this chapter is more slow and just about how they are coping with things around them. I've had some people tell me that I haven't had a lot of Louis interaction in the story so for all you Louis lovers here ya go……. **

_Zoey walked along an unknown path, as if she were being led by some unseeing force. She could hear the wind blowing all about her and smell salt in the air. She realized there were no shoes on her feet and they were digging into something soft and wet with every step she took. _

_Confusion set in as she tried to focus on seeing anything around her. It was a lost cause, for the fog and mist covered everything. She wasn't afraid though, which was more confusing than anything. It was as if she knew this place, as if this place was safe. She thought about that word for a moment. Safe…it had been over a month since she really felt safe. Yet here she stood in the nothingness that was this place and felt a feeling of safety that she had not known in some time. _

_Zoey felt someone was here with her. Her first thought was to run, but something stopped her. It was the smell in the air. The salt smell that she had noticed at first slowly began to turn into a new smell. Apples and honeysuckle assaulted her senses and Zoey gasped. The sweet sweet smell was enough to knock Zoey to her knees. Her breath came out in short, shallow breaths as her knees dug into the surface below. _

_Her eyes focused on her hands and noticed they were covered in brown grit. Puzzled, Zoey grabbed a handful of whatever it was beneath her and brought it to her face. It only took a moment for her to understand what was in her hand. It was wet sand. Was she on some kind of beach? It made no sense, the last thing she remembered was diving into the safe room. How did she get here?_

_As if she spoke it out loud, the mist and fog slowly started to break up. The smell of apples and honeysuckle grew stronger with each breath that Zoey took and she felt fresh tears assault her eyes. That smell reminded her so much of…_

_The roar of the waves came crashing down upon her like a full blown orchestra at the height of a passionate piece. The water rushed over her hands and legs yet did not wet them. She looked upon this in amazement as she tried to comprehend what was happening. One wave after the other swept upon her and left nothing in it's wake. She felt like laughing but did not dare for she would feel like she was going insane. _

"_Zoey" The wind carried the whisper towards her ears and all thoughts vanished at the owner's voice. She knew that voice as well as she knew her own. It had soothed her nightmares as a child. It had scolded her when she had done something wrong. It had made her smile and laugh again after her first heartbreak. But it could not be who Zoey thought it was. It was impossible. _

_As if someone pulled the curtains back letting light shine through a darkened room, the mist and fog disappeared all together leaving rays of sunlight so bright Zoey had to cover her eyes. Moments past and finally the world came into complete view. _

_Zoey looked around her in wonder as she saw the most beautiful beach she had ever laid eyes upon. The dry sand was a perfect shade of stark white. The ocean, with it's huge waves were clear and the bluest she had ever seen. She had a feeling that she had been here before, yet the place was completely different and new to her. _

_Standing on her feet again, she slowly turned in a circle to take the magnificent scene in. As she turned to her left, she immediately came to a stop. Everything around her in that moment melted away as her eyes widened. This was a dream it had to be because what she was seeing could not be possible. Zoey had no idea when she started to cry but now she could feel the wet tears sliding down her cheeks. _

_It all made sense to her now…the smell of apples and honeysuckle…the voice, so low yet loud enough to be recognized…and this place. She knew this place even if it was different somehow. She knew this place because this is where she had spent many summers with her parents and brother. This was their home away from home and she smiled despite herself thinking of the wonderful memories. _

_Her eyes focused on the scene before her as she tried to take a step towards it. She found that she could not move. Fear overcame her and she fought hard against it. She tried to speak and found that she couldn't even breathe. _

_There, sitting twenty yards away from her on a fallen log was the outline of her mother. The wind was blowing at her back, causing her hair to hide her face. Zoey was so afraid to see her mother as an infected that she wanted to be swallowed by the wet sand below her. She could not bare to see her mother in that state. Taking her eyes off of her mother, Zoey looked down at her hands and noticed they were pale white. She had them balled up into fists so tight that trickles of blood where starting to seep through her closed palms from her fingernails digging into the soft skin. _

_Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes closed before raising her head in the direction of where her mother sat. Time seemed to all but stand still as Zoey's brown eyes stared into one's as blue as the ocean itself. There was a sound, as if someone gasped and she realized it came from her._

_Her mother sat looking at her with a bright smile upon her very human face. Brown-wavy, chestnut hair blew slowly in the breeze as her mother's smile grew wider. It seemed, to Zoey, that her mother was younger than she remembered. _

_Without realizing it, Zoey was standing in front of her mother, as she watched her pat the log beside her, inviting Zoey to sit with her. Zoey awkwardly sat down beside her mother, not taking her eyes off of the woman._

_Both women sat for a moment in silence, lost in the beauty that they found themselves in. _

_Turning towards her mother, Zoey reached a shaking hand towards the woman's flawless cheek and gently touched it. The skin felt as warm as the rays of sun shining down on her. She bit down hard on her lips as a sob rolled through her stomach towards her throat. She watched as her mother slowly closed her eyes, reveling in her daughter's touch. _

"_What is this? It has to be a dream…your dead mama," Zoey whispered miserably._

_Zoey's mother reached up and took her hand in her own. Turning towards her daughter, she spoke softly, "I'll always be with you Zoey."_

"_I miss you so much mama! I miss dad and I miss Jamie," Zoey cried._

_Zoey fell into her mother's arms as she sobbed for her family. Her mother tightened her embrace as she too cried with Zoey. Planting kisses on her young daughter's head, she whispered softly into her ear, "If there is one thing that I have learned Zoey it is that there is always light in the darkest of situations. There is always hope in the most dire of circumstances and this is something you must remember. I know you are in the fight of your life my love but you are not alone. Nothing ever lasts, even this evil."_

_Zoey raised her crying eyes towards her mother. She did not want to leave from her arms. She felt safe, at peace. Her mother reached up and wiped the falling tears from Zoey's cheeks as she smiled lovingly at her. _

_They sat there for what seemed like an eternity to Zoey. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon as it shown it's last beautiful rays on this dream world. She was still curled in her mother's protective arms as they slowly rocked back and forth. _

"_Zoey, sometimes our decisions can be hard to make, and yet they must be made. You may be faced with such a decision soon my love." Zoey sat up and looked into her mother's loving eyes. She wasn't sure what her mother was talking about. "I…I don't understand," she said slowly._

"_When the time comes, you will." Her mother said gently._

_With that, her mother looked past her and the bright smile was back on her face. Such love and devotion shown through the woman's face that it made Zoey think of Francis. Zoey turned to see what she was looking at and saw nothing. _

_Turning back, her mother was gone. Zoey stood up abruptly and searched around frantically for her mother. She was no where to be found. _

Wide, brown eyes flew open in the darkness of the room. Zoey's breaths came out fast and furious. For a moment she didn't know where she was. The feeling of strong arms squeezing her tighter brought her back to reality. She was in the safe room with Francis, Louis and Bill. Zoey wasn't quite sure how long they had been there, her mind was still reeling from the dream.

Slowly, as to not wake Francis, Zoey climbed out from under his arms and stood. She was a little wobbly on her feet but she managed to take a few steps. The room was small, with a even smaller bathroom built in the side of it. There really wasn't much room to walk, but Zoey needed to get her bearings. She felt as though she had been knocked in the stomach.

She came to the metal door and leaned her forehead on it as she closed her eyes. The dream was too real, even though her mind was slowly starting to come back to itself and realizing that that was all it was…just a dream, and yet it felt as though it was more than that. Her mother's words confused her. It was as though she knew something was about to happen and came to warn her.

"This is silly, Zoey get yourself together. It was just a damn dream," she whispered to herself.

"Zoey, you okay?" Louis' soft voice cut through her mental war.

She turned around and gave her friend a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked kindly.

"There's not much to talk about Louis, just a weird dream that's all."

She wasn't sure that that was all there was to it but what could she say. _'Yeah Louis, I just had a dream of my dead mother and I think she was trying to tell me something but I'm not sure what. So, how has your night gone?'_ No, that wouldn't come out right at all and she would end up looking like she was loosing her mind, which at this point she wasn't so sure that wasn't the truth.

Louis didn't speak for a few seconds. Zoey was starting to feel uncomfortable under his watchful stare. She had a strange feeling that he was trying to see straight through her.

"Okay Zoey, but if you want to talk about it you know I'm here," he said.

Zoey shook her head in understanding and breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to push it. The last thing she needed was for the guys to think she was losing it.

"Having trouble sleeping?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, Between Bill's snoring and Francis' wheezing I can't get any kind of rest," he said with a chuckle. Zoey shared his chuckle as she watched the two men who were the subject of their discussion.

"We had a close call didn't we?" she said in a low voice while staring at Francis.

"Too close."

They stood there in silence, letting the darkness soak in their memories of the horrible experience they had just had.

"Let's make sure we don't have to go through that again okay?" Louis said.

As much as Zoey wanted to agree to that, she knew that she couldn't. There were no guarantee's in this life now. The reality was that something like that could easily happen again without the happy ending.

Louis saw the answer in her eyes and sighed heavily. "You could at least say it to make me feel better," he said with a sad laugh. Zoey's heart broke for the man standing in front of her. For the first time since this whole mess started, she saw the vulnerable side of Louis. He wanted her to tell him everything was going to be okay, even if that was a lie.

Without a word, Zoey closed the gap between them and embraced Louis in a hug. He had become something of a kindred spirit to her. Louis wrapped his arms around her and held on as if his life depended on it. Not a word was spoken, none needed to be. Zoey and Louis held each other in the darkness of the safe room as the sounds of the infected floated in from the outside.

Louis sniffed a few times and then released Zoey, walking towards the barred up window on the safe room door. Zoey walked the few feet to stand besides him as they peered at the room in front of them. The room was not lit very well for the emergency lights were slowly dying. Still, it was an eerie sight to see the infected walking around in the pale green light. The color of green that shown down upon them made them look more sick, more dead than they already were.

"_Zoey, do you think any part of who they used to be is still in there somewhere?" _

Taking her eyes off of the room before her, she slowly turned to look at Louis. His eyes, big round brown orbs, bore into her own as if her answer could somehow give him renewed life in the face of death.

"_I don't know Louis." _She whispered sadly.

"It's been going through my mind the past couple of days, each time my finger pulls the trigger I wonder if the infected I'm killing deep down inside really knows what's happening. If the human is still there, fighting to regain control."

Zoey closed her eyes as Louis' voice cracked on the word control. She had never thought about it like that. How could any of them think that there was any chance that the infected still had some humanity left in them. It would be impossible for them to survive this if that was their state of mind, yet her heart betrayed her now that Louis had said this out loud.

"Louis, all I know is that every time we come up against one of them, they attack. Their only thought is to kill us. It is kill or be killed these day's my friend and to humanize them is to sign your own death certificate. Any ounce of humanity in this world was lost the day this shit started happening." Zoey wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, Louis or herself.

Turning towards the green colored room, she whispers, _"All I know is that I want to survive. I want you guys to survive, and if that means killing every last one of them then that's what I'm going to do."_

"_I'm tired Zoey, I'm so god damn tired," _Louis whispered heartbreakingly.

A dark cloud was starting to form over the inhabitants of the room and Zoey felt her heart restricting. She reached over and grabbed Louis in a hug again and desperately searched her brain for a way to get them back on track before they both succumb to the helplessness of the situation.

"_There is always light in the darkest of situations Louis," _Zoey whispered her mother's words. It burned her soul to remember her mother's beautiful face.

"Will we will find that light Zoey," he asked desperately.

"I hope so my friend…I hope so."

They did not release each other from their embrace and yet the air seemed to lighten a little. Zoey would hold her friend as long as it took for him to be able to stand on his own. That is, after all, what family does for each other right?

"Should I be worried at all that your tryin' to steal my woman Louis?"

The absurdity and the way that Francis was looking at them had Louis and Zoey bowed over in a fit of laughter. Francis sat against the wall as he watched the pair as if they had lost their minds.

"What?" he asked as if he were left out of some joke.

"No Francis, I assure you…that I'm doing… no such thing," Louis said through laughter.

Tears were streaming down Zoey's face from laughing so hard. When she finally got control of herself, she walked over to the now sulking Francis. Dropping to her knees, she reached out and touched his cheek. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about Francis. My heart belongs to you and you alone," she said softly.

He's sulking instantly turned to pride as he took in the beautiful girl and her words.

Zoey looked around at the three men, Louis, settling back down to get some more sleep…Bill, deep in sleep himself and Francis, looking at her with concentration as if trying to read her thoughts, she knew that she would protect them at all costs. Their chances were not good but from the beginning it had always been that way and yet they were still alive and still moving forward.

"You okay?" Francis asked in a low voice.

Turning her eyes towards his, she gave him a small smile and shook her head yes. She couldn't find her voice to speak, afraid her dam would break and she would be powerless to stop the helpless feeling from overtaking her.

She laid down beside Francis and sighed as his strong arms wrapped around her.

Later that night, Zoey slowly opened her eyes. Something had awoken her but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Laying very still, she listened for the sound…any sound.

She could hear the guys sound asleep and for a moment she thought she was just going crazy. Maybe she had dreamed it, but she was sure that she had not.

What seemed like an eternity passed and as she strained her ears for the sound, she finally heard it.

Getting up again, she walked towards the door's window to peer into the green lit room. There wasn't much movement but every once in a while she could hear a moan and dragging of feet. That was not the sound that woke her up though.

A few minutes passed and then the noise could be heard. It was like the wind carried the noise to her ears. She decided that it was not in the green lit room but beyond it. Beyond what her eyes could see. This made her feel uneasy because she wanted to see what was making that noise. She had heard it before and something told her to walk away. Now, her curiosity was getting the better of her and she wanted to know what it was.

The longer she listened to it, the more it saddened her. The noise was gut wrenching and she wondered for just a moment if the owner of the noise was feeling the helplessness as well.

"Zoey, you okay?"

Turning around, Zoey looked at a sleepy Bill. He was starting to get to his feet, as he rubbed his eyes to clear them of their drowsiness. His face showed concern as he looked at Zoey. She turned back around and looked out, as if her eyes would let her see past the room.

"Someone's crying."

**Alrighty, you guys know what to do!! Review, review, review!! I know this chapter wasn't action packed but I needed to have just a slow chapter to kinda show what's going on in their heads. To show the toll this whole mess is taking on them. I wanted to show the moral battle in Louis' head and Zoey's as well…how even though it is a fight for survival, they still wonder if the infected can be saved…if they are still human somewhere inside themselves. Anyway, the next chapter will be filled with action I assure you!!!! Let me know what ya think, Review!!**


	22. The Creature

**Hello everyone!!!! I'm back again. I want to first start off by thanking every single person that has reviewed the last chapter or reviewed period since I last updated!! Thanks to all that has added me and this story to your favorites…I am truly humbled. I know I have slowed down writing this story, when I first started I was getting updates out there left and right and then all of a sudden it just stopped and would come every other month or something like that! Well that's what happens when you have total writers block! I have been fighting that for a while now and I just didn't think I could MAKE myself write on this story. I don't want to force anything and only want to write what comes to me, otherwise it would take all the fun out of it! I know it's not fair to all of you that read this story to make you wait, but I do ask for patience. There are several ways that I can take this story and I'm not sure which one to choose yet, but I can promise we are almost there. No matter how long it takes me to update I will give you this promise that I will never abandon this story and that one day it will be finished!! Don't worry about that!! I took some time off from my writer's block to play other games, to let my mind refresh. Right now I'm playing Bioshock 2!! OMG!!!!! Fantastic so far, just wonderful. Anyway, here is another chapter. I'm afraid some of you are going to kill me at the end of this chapter but bare with me…we are going somewhere….lol!! Again thanks to all of you and I hope you enjoy so without further interruption….**

* * *

"Someone's crying."

Zoey's sentence hung between her and a now wide awake Bill. Looking at him, she could tell that he was straining his ears to hear what she herself was hearing. The crying seemed not too far away, yet she couldn't guess where it was actually coming from.

"Well I be damned, someone is crying," Bill said.

The sound was so out of place compared to the surrounding infected. It was actually a different human emotion besides the angered snarls and screams that had become part of their everyday life.

Standing there listening to the crying, Zoey didn't know which was worse, the crying or the angry screams. One thing that was for sure was that she and the guys had to go and investigate. The thought of another survivor hung in the air between her and Bill, yet neither one had the nerve to point that out.

"Bill…" she started.

"Don't even think about it Zoey," Bill interrupted.

"Come on Bill, what if it's a survivor or someone that needs help. We just can't pretend that we don't hear someone crying." Zoey was pointing towards where the sound was coming from and she couldn't help her hand from shaking slightly. She had a bad feeling about what they would find at the end of that noise but she still felt it was the right thing to do just in case it was someone in trouble.

"Zoey, think about this rationally for a moment would ya. There's crying in the middle of those bastards out there. It sure as hell is making a shit load of noise. Don't ya think that the infected would have killed a human by now if that was the cause of the noise?"

Bill had a point, a very good point but still Zoey's curiosity was getting the better of her. She had heard all of the God awful noises to last her a lifetime but this was different. She had not seen a single infected shed a tear so why would they start now?

"What's going on?"

Bill and Zoey's attention turned towards Louis who was sitting up from the floor. He was looking back and forth between the two waiting for one of them to explain why they were up.

"You hear that?" Bill asked.

Zoey watched as Louis took on the same expression that Bill did earlier, straining his ears to hear. His forehead became a river of wrinkles as his brain heard the out of place sound.

"Someone's crying," he said low.

Bill and Zoey shook there heads in agreement. Someone was definitely crying.

"Zoey thinks we should investigate but I say we let it be. We are almost to the hospital and I would like as little detours as possible," Bill said dryly.

"It could be a survivor Louis," Zoey stated her case.

"Or it could be one of those monsters that's different from an infected. We've ran into plenty of those, what's one more?" Bill shot back.

Zoey could tell that Bill was getting a little agitated with her curiosity. It kind of surprised her a little bit that he wasn't the least bit curious himself. She knew he was playing it safe. They all were so close to being at the place where rescue would come and she felt Bill didn't want to fuck that up.

"God, do you people never sleep? It's pretty simple you know, lay your asses down, close your eyes and count some damn sheep. Try it sometime, oh I don't know, let's say right the fuck now!" Francis grumbled.

A small smile tugged at Zoey's mouth. She would go out on a limb and say that Francis could sleep through just about anything, apocalypse included. Louis just shook his head while Bill scowled.

"We got a good reason to be up ya jackass. Make yourself useful and join us want ya?" Bill said.

"This better be good," Francis mumbled as he sat up. "Now, what's all the noise about?"

"Do you hear that?" Zoey asked him softly.

Again, the lines creased into his forehead like Louis and Bill as he heard the crying.

"A survivor?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Well, that's what we are trying to figure out. Bill thinks there's no way and Zoey thinks it could be." Louis chimed in

"What do you think," Francis asked.

Louis didn't answer at first. Zoey saw his mind working to find an answer to that question. "I'm not sure to be honest. I know the crying is something new. None of the other infested showed any emotion but anger."

It was silent between the four humans as they all listened to the whaling of something they weren't sure of. Zoey felt the hairs on her arms and head stand to attention as the silent room was filled with the sound. It sounded so human…so heartbreaking, yet she knew that Bill was right. There would be no way a survivor could be making that noise in the middle of the infected. Not unless that said human was behind a barrier like they were.

That had to be it, Zoey thought at once. Whatever was making that noise had to be behind a safety door. It was the only thing that made sense. She could not believe that an infected was capable of anything other than anger and hatred. To believe that one of those monsters could make such a heartbreaking sound was too much.

"We have to make sure that it isn't someone that needs our help guys. If it was you out that making that noise, wouldn't you want someone to help you?"

"Zoey, I'm telling you now that that ain't a human. Whatever that…thing is making that noise, I don't want any part of." Bill said pointing towards the door.

"Why are you so sure that it's an infected?" Francis asked skeptically.

"Why? Because we are the only fucking humans left in this God forsaken world. You think there's someone outside that door crying for help? You think that those fuckers out there would allow someone to live especially making that much noise? Come one guys, use a little bit more common sense than that. The infected would have torn that person to pieces the moment they opened there damn mouths."

"How do you know that whatever is making that noise is not protected like we are Bill? How do you know that they aren't in a safe room crying out?" Zoey interrupted.

"How? I'll show ya," Bill said walking towards the door.

Louis and Francis moved to the side to allow Bill access to the door. Grabbing the rails of the window, Bill took a deep breath and screamed, "Hey, you there crying, where are you so we can come and get ya. We're humans just like you. Let us help you."

The infected that were just outside the room took notice of the screams and ran towards the door, snarling and getting ready to attack. Bill jumped back just in time as one of the infected tried to reach through the window towards him.

Louis walked up to the door and dealt with the few infected using his gun. As the gunshot echoes died down, the four survivors waited silently for some reaction to whoever Bill screamed out for.

The seconds ticked by with no change. The crying continued, yet there was no worded response. Zoey found this to be disturbing. Could it be that the infected could show remorse? Could it be that the infected could do more than scream in anger.

"See Zoey, if that were a human don't you think they would have communicated something to us? Coming across a human in these times are very rare," Bill said quietly.

"We're the last ones huh?" Zoey said as unshed tears blinded her vision. Francis walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "I don't believe that Zoey. You know I'm the most negative person there is and yet I haven't gotten to the point that I believe we are the only ones," he said softly.

"There's only one way to find out I guess. We keep going and we don't stray from the plan. We get to that hospital and on that roof as soon as possible. Maybe then we can prove me wrong that we aren't the only ones left." Bill took a deep breath before going on, looking at each of his friends. "What we don't do is go snooping around. Whatever is making that noise out there, let it continue making it without us interfering."

"I agree with Bill. I'm ready for this to end and I'm ready for us to find somewhere that is really safe. I…I don't know that I have too much left in me you know?" Louis said with a humorless chuckling. "It would be nice to be able to sit down and not worry about where we will find the next safe room."

"It would be nice to actually smoke a whole cigarette and be able to enjoy it without worrying about if it's my last," Bill spoke softly.

"It would be nice to not have to run anymore, to just enjoy sitting down and relaxing for a day," Francis piped in.

Zoey looked around at the men, understanding what they were trying to do. They were trying to find hope that maybe they were at the end. Wishful thinking that soon all the things that they wanted would come to pass. Again, her love for these men grew more than she thought possible.

"It would be nice, for one day, not to worry about losing one of you. It would be nice to believe that all of my family, you guys, were really safe," she whispered.

Nothing else was said for a while. They stood in a circle staring at one another, communicating without words. In times like these, sometimes words were not enough.

"You all ready to go?," Louis said emotionally.

"No time like the present I guess," Francis answered.

Taking a deep breath, Zoey let go of Francis and went to pack her backpack. She felt a hand on her back and turned expecting to see Francis, instead, Bill stood there. "Zoey, I'm sorry for losing my cool back there. Don't let my old man sourness rub off on ya sweetie," he said winking.

Zoey gave him a soft smile and turned to finish packing. Surely they were to the end. Louis was right, they would not be able to take much more.

* * *

The area outside of the safe room was clear of infected. Louis had taken care of the only ones that were around. Zoey and the others breathed a soft sigh of relief for this. The longer they went without having to deal with any infected the better. "Okay guys, up this way is the entrance to the sewers. We make our way down into them and that will lead to the front of the hospital. It's not that far of a walk down there and hopefully it will be infected free," Zoey whispered. The guys shook their heads in agreement.

The closer they walked towards the sewer entrance, the louder the crying got. Zoey's skin began to crawl, as if a thousand roaches were trying to somehow make their way through her outer skin.

"It's getting louder," Louis stated.

"Just keep moving. Zoey, show us where the entrance is and lets get the hell away from that crying," Bill said.

Zoey led them to a dark room, only a room or two away from the sewer entrance. Zoey was stunned to find that the cries were consuming the room. Whatever was making the noise was somewhere in here…with them.

Raising her flashlight, Zoey frantically searched around them. "I said keep moving," Bill said firmly.

"What if we run into it Bill? We can't see shit," Francis whispered.

Zoey had all but zoned the guys argument out as she scanned the room with her flashlight. She searched every dusty floor and corner until her light landed on a small figure only a few feet from the exit.

Slowly, Zoey lifted her flashlight upwards. Bare feet and shredded clothing assaulted Zoey's eyes. Looking closer, Zoey realized that it was more like underwear and a barely there shirt left on a small body. The men stopped their arguing, seeing what Zoey was staring at. Steadily the flashlight moved up the figures body, to which Zoey realized was a girl's body. The arms were too small and fragile to be that of a man's. Long, dangly hair hid the face of the girl that was whaling on the cold, dirt floor.

Zoey felt herself take a step forward but was stopped by a hand to the elbow. "Zoey, what the hell do you think your doing?" Francis asked angry.

She was hypnotized by this girl's cries. She looked so lost, so hurt. Zoey wanted to run to her and shelter her from what was happening in the world now. Her cries were more heart wrenching in the darkened room.

Raising her flashlight, Zoey took another step towards the girl, taking Francis with her.

The cries stopped. All eyes turned to the girl figure as a new sound could be heard coming from her direction. It was a sound that was well known to Zoey and the guys. They had heard it coming from the infected several times. The trance that the girl's cries had put Zoey in was now completely gone with this new sound.

Slowly, as if the girl was afraid of falling apart, she started to rise from the floor. Her cries had suddenly turned to hair-raising snarls. Zoey swallowed hard as she grabbed her M-16, watching in horror as the girl figure came to it's full height. The arms of the girl figure started spreading as if she wanted a hug. Four flashlights shown on each part of the figure as gasps could be heard all around.

"What the fuck is in her hands?" Francis whispered frantically.

"Does she have knives?" Louis asked just as frantic.

"Those aren't fucking knives…those are her fingernails," Bill answered.

"Oh my God," Zoey chimed in.

The girl raised her face towards the four humans and zeroed in on the first one she saw. Unfortunately for Zoey, she was in the frontline. Again she became hypnotized by the girl. This time, eyes glowing as bright as the flashlight in her hand, stared deadly wholes at Zoey.

Zoey heard another gasp but wasn't sure if it was from her or one of the guys. Before anyone could make another noise, the snarls turned into the most horrible scream to ever reach Zoey's ears. Never in any of her movies, that she could remember, was there a noise or a creature as scary and heart wrenching as this creature. No human had that good of an imagination to create something as insane as this…monster.

The white eyes stared at Zoey as the creature charged forward in her direction. Without thinking, the four friends scattered. Two went one way and the other two went the other.

Zoey dove out of the way of the huge clawed hand coming down upon her head. There was a tearing sound, followed by a scream. Zoey realized that the scream and the tearing sound was coming from her own mouth and body. Fear gripped her so tightly, threatening to incapacitate her so the monster could finish the job.

"ZOEY!," Francis screamed somewhere around her.

Scrambling to her feet, Zoey lost a grip on her gun. She could have cared less in that moment. Her only thought was to get away from those horrible claws. She ran towards the exit, praying that the guys were following her and would start shooting the shit out of the monster. She could hear them screaming her name and running after her and the thing chasing her.

Darkness consumed her everywhere. What little light that shown was coming from emergency light but they were few and far between. Zoey could feel the monster behind her, breathing down her neck. She continued to run as fast as she could possibly move.

What she didn't expect was for the ground to gave way beneath her. One moment she was running through a darkened room and the next she was falling. Pain radiated through her body as she made contact with the concrete flooring of the sewer. Zoey held her tongue and did not cry out for fear of infected being around to come help the monster complete it's job.

Zoey did not need to scream for the monster did it for her. Desperately trying to crawl somewhere for safety, Zoey heard someone land behind her. She didn't have to turn around to realize that it was the monster. This was it, this was her time to die. She was so close and yet this was how it would end. Her life would be taken away in a darkened sewer, five hundred yards away from safety at the hands of a mad woman. After everything she had overcome, this was it.

One clawed hand came down hard on Zoey's back and this time she did not hold back the scream. She felt the razor sharp edges dig into her skin and blood run gruesomely down her back.

"GET AWAY FROM HER."

Zoey heard Louis' screams right before he jumped on the monsters back. To her horror, she watched as the monster, with the flick of her hand, threw Louis across the way. He hit the wall hard, knocking all the breath out of him.

Without hesitation, the monster went back to work on Zoey's back. It had managed to puncture through Zoey's backpack, hoodie and shirt to her skin. She had a sick feeling that if it weren't for those things she would be lying in a pool of her own blood, dead as it dead gets.

She heard Bill and Francis screaming her and Louis' name as they made their way down the tunnel of the sewer. Before she had time to scream for help, all the air was pushed out of her body as the monster's hand came crashing down on her back, over and over.

Zoey could feel the wounds from her time with the smoker open up. The smoker's attack was nothing like this though. This time, the monster was literally tearing her to shreds and all she could do was lay there and scream out in horror, pain, agony, and defeat.

The sound of a shotgun rang out as the monster matched Zoey's screams. It dawned on her, through her daze, that the guys were shooting the demonic thing that was tearing her alive. Never again, if she survived this, would she be able to hear the sound of crying and not shudder. Never again would she be able to close her eyes and not see the eyes, so bright, looking back at her.

One final scream and Zoey felt a heavy weight fall on top of her. The stench of the monster so close to her nose had her gagging and screaming in pain.

The guys rushed to her side and grabbed the thing, pulling it away from her. Francis, looking frantic, reached down and grabbed Zoey's shoulders to turn her over. Again, her painfully screams filled the sewer.

"IT'S BROKE! MY SHOULDER'S BROKEN!" Zoey screamed out.

Francis let go immediately and gently grabbed her around her waste. Breathing hard himself, because of his broken ribs, he gently sat Zoey up. As soon as she was upright, she tried to lean against Francis. This action caused more cries.

"Shh, just be still, I gottcha," Francis said softly. He held her at arms length while Bill went to check on Louis. He was slowly getting to his knees, shaking his foggy head to clear it.

"FUCK it hurts!" Zoey cried.

"We gotta move now. Pretty soon this place is gonna be swarming with infected. Zoey I know it hurts but for just a little while you gotta keep going. We're almost there," Bill pleaded, helping a dazed Louis to his feet.

All Zoey could think about was the pain but she knew Bill was right. Any second they would be surrounded by infected and she would almost certainly be dead. She knew for a fact her shoulder was broken from the fall and she felt as though her entire skin had been torn off her back, yet she had to find the strength to keep going just a little long.

Reaching for Francis' outstretched hand, he gently helped her to her unsteady feet. This was going to be harder than she thought. With every step and run more blood seeped from the wounds on her back. There were no words to describe the pain from her shoulder. If she had any guts about her, she would beg for death to come and take her from the pain. Death was the only thing that would dissolve the hell she now found her beaten and battered body in.

"Up there," Francis said pointing towards a ladder leading to the top of the sewer.

All around them, Zoey could hear the grunts and moans from the infected hiding in shadows of the sewer but they dared not stop to fight them off. She knew any moment the infected would notice them and come charging.

With all of the strength and faith she had, she sent a silent prayer towards the heavens for just a little more help.

"Francis, let me have her."

Francis hesitated and stared at Bill, as if trying to figure out what the old man was up to.

"Listen, there ain't no way she's gonna climb those steps in the condition she's in and you sure as shit can't carry her up them yourself. I'm a lot stronger than I look you know. Put her on my back and I'll get her up those steps."

Francis didn't move. "Francis, we don't have time for this, trust me!" Bill pleaded.

Slowly, he turned towards Zoey and helped her to climb onto Bill's back. She held on as tight as she could with one arm, praying that they could make it up the ladder in one piece without falling back down. Her vision was blurred as her head swam in and out of consciousness. She fought against it, she would not be defeated this time. They were so close to their destination. She would be victorious and not let the enormous pain overtake her.

Coming up out of the sewers, they found themselves looking into the entrance of the enormous Mercy hospital. They were on the paved street on a cold night. Of course it would not be that easy. It never was Zoey reminded herself. There were more than a handful of infected walking around exactly where they needed to go.

"Fucking give me a break!" Bill spat. "Get ready boys, we got company."

With that, Bill climbed the rest of the way out, helping Zoey to her feet. As soon as her foot it the pavement she fell to the ground. All of her strength was gone yet she refused to give up. She would crawl inside that building if she had to.

The feeling of being so close to making it out of this nightmare filled her with strength she didn't know she had. Ever so slowly, Zoey got to her feet and started walking towards the entrance. The guys surrounded her, holding their guns at attention. Louis had made a full recovery and was now very alert.

It only took moments for the infected to notice Zoey and the guys and when they did they charged. What chance did they have against the accurate shots of the guys? Not one time through the whole thing did Zoey take her eyes off of the safe room just a few feet ahead of them. It was like a beacon of light calling home a lost ship. Just a few more steps and she could rest her battered body.

"There it is!" Louis shouted above the screams of the infected.

Yes, there it was. They were now inside the entrance of the hospital and Zoey let herself take a short breath before she picked her pace up and headed into the safe room. Before she knew it, she was staring straight into a cement wall. They had made it to another safe room, closer towards their goal.

"That wasn't so bad," she whispered to the wall.

"Zoey, baby are you alright?" Francis asked out of breath.

"Never been better," she said dazed.

Before she could help herself she started giggling hysterically. There was really nothing funny to laugh about yet she could not stop herself or the laughter from spilling out of her mouth. For a moment she was sure that she was going crazy. Who could blame her after weeks of the shit they had been through.

"Zoey, talk to me, what's wrong" Francis pleaded, grabbing her by the waist.

"She's going into shock Francis," Louis spoke up.

Just then, Zoey's legs went out from under her and Francis had to strain to catch her. Under her weight he felt his already bruised and broken ribs crying out in pain.

Easing her to the floor, he started to remove her hoodie and shirt to get to the wounded back. Being as careful as he could, he brought the clothing up and over her broken shoulder. As careful as he was, it did not stop the cry that escaped Zoey's mouth. Francis winced as he kept at his work, desperate to see how much damage that hideous creature caused.

"I'm sorry baby, I'm almost done I promise," he whispered. Zoey's moans and cries were becoming too much for him to take.

Finally he was at his destination and what he saw made his stomach turn. Even with the backpack, hoodie and shirt on, the damage was still gruesome. He wouldn't allow himself to think about what would have happened if she would have had nothing on her back.

Taking off his shirt, Francis started clearing the blood away from her back so he could see the cuts. It seemed the more he wiped the more the blood would ooze out and cover the wounds. It was as if her body wouldn't allow anyone to see the damage.

Something wasn't right. There was too much blood for Francis' liking. His shirt was all but soaked through and through with Zoey's blood. This was bad, worse than the smoker's attack at her parent's house. In a matter of minutes, if they didn't get the bleeding to stop, Zoey would bleed to death and die right here in his arms.

"Guys, she's bleeding to death!" Francis said horrified.

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**


	23. The Pain

**Yes! I am back for another installment! It's been I while I know I know! Like I said I will not abandon this story no matter how long it takes me to write it! Thanks to everyone that has left reviews and comments! As always I appreciate them. For the ones that have sent me awesome emails, thanks to you as well. You have brightened my day with each wonderful thing y'all have said to me. Now, without further interruption…**

**THE PAIN**

There should have been pain. Something to let Zoey know that she was still alive but at the moment that Francis was realizing she was bleeding to death, there was nothing. Lying face down in Francis' arms, Zoey stared at the cold floor with an absolute feeling of numbness.

'Is this what it feels like to die? Is that what's happening to me?' she thought.

The next thought that entered her mind made her start to feel something. Something so strong that for a moment she thought she had the strength to scream. Anguish, as strong as the numbness itself reared it's ugly head. 'Is this what my family felt before they died? Did my father and mother know they were dying because they felt this numbness? Did Jamie know the horror of just feeling nothing at all?'

"Zoey?"

Francis. Zoey heard him calling her name softly, as though she were on one side of a tunnel and he the other. There was no strength to reply. All she wanted to do was lay there and go back to feeling nothing. She wanted the anguish to go away.

'Is this what all of those millions of people felt before they were turned into an infected? Is this what it feels like for the human spirit to just…die?'

Zoey's mind was working overtime. She wondered for a moment if she was actually giving up. If this was the last straw and everything would be over soon. She would be with her family again. She would get to hug her parents and hold Jamie. The sound of that was so wonderful that Zoey smiled, or at least she thought she did.

"Come on Zoey, answer me damn it!"

All at once, Zoey's vision of her family vanished and in it's place was a dark, dirty floor. Confusion set in as her senses started to catch up with the here and now.

First, her sight came back in focus. Although it was tinted in red, she still could see clearly and what she saw wasn't very much to look at. Zoey realized she was laying on her stomach across Francis' arms.

Her hearing became sharp. All at once, the tiniest sound was deafening to her. She could her someone moving around fast, as if they were running in circles.

Blood. The salty iron taste of blood filled every taste bud she had in her mouth. Her gag reflex started to kick in and she couldn't hold back the vomit that erupted from her mouth. Zoey could tell that most of it was blood.

The smell of blood, sweat, tears and vomit was so strong Zoey was afraid that it would swallow her whole. She didn't know if it was a mixture of all four of them in the room that was making that smell or if it was just her. All she knew was that it was overpowering.

The last sense to kick in was the most devastating. With it, it brought back the memories of what had just happened to her. What had happened to all of them. Her whole entire body became engulfed in the most searing pain imaginable. Her back felt as though it had been sawed into. Every cut and bump was intensified ten fold. Zoey knew there was only one thing she could do at that moment and so she did it.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream that came from her mouth was foreign sounding even to her own ears. There was no end in sight from the pain and so she kept on screaming.

"Zoey, come on baby, listen to me. Shhhh, it's okay."

No, it was not okay. It was definitely not okay! The pain would drive her mad she was sure of it. Not in her nineteen years of living had she experienced this pain. Not even the smoker and his attack made her feel like this.

"Francis, I found the needle and thread."

Through her screams and pain, Zoey heard Louis speaking but his words made no sense. Who the hell cared about needle and thread at this time?

"Fuck, I don't know how to do this," Francis said unsteadily.

Zoey's body was slowly adjusting to the pain and ever so slowly her screaming died down until it was nothing but a hoarse whisper.

"Son, just hold her still. I'll do it."

Now that her screaming wasn't drowning out everything else, Zoey heard the guys in conversation. "Do you know what your doing Bill?" Francis asked.

She tried to lift her head and found that the slightest movement sent the pain back to nuclear mode. She decided it would be wise just to lean on Francis for a little bit longer.

"Francis, there are many things in my life that I'll never forget from the war. Sewing body parts back on my brothers is one of them. That's something that no matter how old a man lives to be, he will never forget doing. Yes…I know what I'm doing."

No one moved for some time as what Bill said soaked in. As gruesome a thought as that was, it ran through their minds what he was saying.

"Come on guys, Zoey doesn't have that much longer," Louis pleaded.

As easily as he could, Francis grabbed Zoey under her arms and moved her up his chest. Her cries were almost more than the guys could take but this needed to be done. Holding her firmly to him, he whispered in her ear, "Zoey, we have to do this. Just know that no matter what happens, this has to be done okay."

Zoey did not like the way he spoke. His words made no sense but it was the way he spoke them. Before she could ask Francis what he was talking about, pain shot through her back almost rivaling the earlier pain. "Sorry Zoey, I needed to clean the area with alcohol first," Bill said softly.

Alcohol? Turning her head slightly she looked at Bill and then the bottle of Vodka in his hands. "Can I have some," she whispered. He looked down at the bottle in his hands and then back up to Zoey. "Sure."

She knew that whatever they were about to do was going to hurt like hell, but maybe with enough alcohol in her system she could withstand the pain. Bill slowly lifted the bottle to her mouth. The smell was overpowering and a little sickening. Taking a deep breath, she held it and drank greedily.

Seven gulps later, she came up spewing the liquid from her mouth. The taste was god awful and it burned going down her parched throat. The burning only intensified the longer she drank, but she could feel her body relaxing as the alcohol took effect. She just might survive this after all. She wanted to puke up everything that she had just swallowed, but she refused. It would only make her sober. She had never been a party girl so drinking was not the norm for her. Still, she knew when she was getting tipsy and she was about there.

"You okay?"

Turning her head up to look at Francis, she tried to reassure him with a smile but only succeeded in making her head spin. This alcohol was quick. "I take that as a yes," he said chuckling. Bending down, Francis gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I hope it helps," he whispered. Closing her eyes, Zoey nodded in agreement and also to let Bill know to begin.

Taking a deep breath, Bill went to work on Zoey's back. It was in worse shape than the guys originally thought. Long, deep claw marks started at the base of Zoey's neck and went straight down to her lower back. Blood continued to pour out of the wounds and Bill had little time to do what he needed to stop the bleeding and save Zoey's life.

As the needle pierced Zoey's skin, she grabbed onto Francis' arms as hard as she could. Though the alcohol did dull the pain, it was not enough to keep her from feeling numb. Inch by little inch she felt the needle penetrate one side of her back to the other. It seemed the longer Bill sewed her up, the more intense the pain got.

Zoey tried to go to her happy place but found that at that moment, it was an impossibility. She squeezed Francis' arms as hard as she could hoping that it would dull the pain. It did not. She was slowly losing her mind and she didn't know if she would find her way back. No matter what though, she would not scream.

"Zoey, you're doing good. Just a little longer and he will be done," Francis said.

She didn't know if she could last that long. "Just…just let me rest a minute please," she begged.

"Hun, you've lost enough blood as it is, If I don't keep going you might lose more than you can afford."

Bill had a point, but it still did not make the pain any less dull. She should have asked them to knock her out first, maybe then she could have gotten through this.

"You know what the first thing I'm gonna do when I get out of here is? I'm gonna have me a big fat juicy hamburger with all the trimmings. Maybe a coke…no…a good ole fashion cold beer. What about you Zoey?"

Zoey understood what Francis was trying to do and she loved him all the more for it. He was trying to get her mind off of the pain. He was trying to distract her. She didn't know if it would work but at this point, she would try anything. "I…I want an ice cream cone," she whispered with a slight smile despite her situation.

Francis chuckled, "An Ice cream cone? Zoey, you can have anything in the world and you want an ice cream cone?"

"Well Francis, I'm a simple person I guess. I think an ice….AHHH, fuck!" Zoey buried her face in Francis' chest as the pain overwhelmed her. Would it ever end? "Francis, please make it stop," she pleaded. Zoey knew it was unfair to beg that of Francis. She knew there was nothing he could do, he was as helpless as her.

"Come on Zoey…focus on me. Focus on my voice okay. It's almost over right Bill?" There was no response which Zoey took that as a bad sign.

"I want some French Toast when we get out of here." Zoey tried looking over at where Louis was standing as he tried to get her to focus back on her and Francis' conversation but any movement made her situation worse. "I used to eat them every Thursday at the little diner down the road from my office. They were the best I've ever eaten, even better than my mom's."

Zoey figured if she could see Louis' face right now he would be looking off…lost in his memories. "French Toast sounds really nice," she whispered. All this talk of food was starting to make her hungry on top of the pain, but she loved these guys for trying to do everything to help her.

"Zoey, I'm almost done. You're doing a great job sweetie. Just a few more stitches and we are finished."

That was music to her ears. The pain would be over soon. Bill was at the base of her neck now and it seemed that the pain only intensified. She could not stop the screams that came from her as Bill struggled through her movements. Zoey was trying her hardest to get out of Francis' grip. She had to get away from the pain. God, how much could one person take? The human spirit and body was bound to break at some point and Zoey felt that she was knocking on that door right at that moment.

"Come on Zoey, you can do this. It's almost over. Look at me. Come on Zoey…look at me love!"

Zoey looked at Francis. They were so close that their noses were barely touching. Those eyes, she could get lost on them for days and not even realize it. At that moment, Zoey realized that Francis' eyes were as blue as the ocean in her dream. As rough and rugged as Francis was, his eyes told a different story. They held nothing but love and adoration as they stared back at her.

"I love you, you know that?" Zoey said as the darkness took over.

Warmness. That was the first thing that Zoey felt as she started to wake. She was so warm. Zoey didn't want to open her eyes because she was so comfortable. The last thing that she remembered from being conscious was the pain and God knows she did not want to go back to that.

Against her will, her eyes slowly opened to a dark room. It was silent and yet she knew that she was not alone. She was lying on her stomach and facing a familiar face. Francis lay not two inches away from her as he slowly caressed her head. They did not speak for a long time. Just started at each other.

"You okay Zoey?" It was Bill that broke the silence. "Never been better," she joked.

All four humans chuckled. It was good that the humor had not evaporated. The next question that Zoey had to ask was one that she feared. "How…how long have I been out?" The last time she had asked that question, their response had been shocking. Two weeks is what they told her last time and something told her that they didn't have two weeks to waste at this point.

"It's only been two days Zoey. To tell you the truth we all needed the rest."

Zoey just nodded at Louis' response. Two days wasn't bad she guessed. Better than two weeks for sure.

"Francis, help me stand up please." There was a moment of hesitation and she looked over towards Francis. He wasn't sure whether that was a good idea but she reassured him with a smile. "It will be okay," she whispered.

As slow as they could, Zoey got to her knees. It hurt like hell but nothing like the pain before. This pain was somewhat dulled and she thought she could fight through it. Looking at Francis, she shook her head for them to continue.

Grunting, Zoey made it to her feet and vertigo it her hard. Francis caught her arms and kept her from busting her ass. She made a note to thank him for that later. Minutes passed until she felt stable enough to stand on her own. As soon as Francis let go of her arms, Zoey felt a surge of pride. She had done it. She had gotten through the attack and the pain from Bill sewing her back up.

She finally had a chance to look around her. The room that they were in was not big at all. It was probably the smallest room that they had been in since their journey began. There were no beds or much of anything for that matter. There was a bathroom luckily. Walking slowly towards it, she looked inside. To her disappointment there was no shower. She smelled hideous and knew that the guys could smell her as well. "It's okay Zoey, we don't smell much better," Louis said smiling.

"Where are we?" She asked no one in particular.

"We're at Mercy Hospital Zoey. A few more floors and we will be out of this nightmare." Louis answered her.

Mercy Hospital. After weeks of hell and fighting for their lives they had finally made it. Zoey took a brief moment to thank her mother for the letter that told them to come here. They were almost to safety. Their hell was almost over. It was almost too good to be true but from the smiles on the guy's faces she knew they were not lying to her.

"What are we waiting for? It's time we finish this once and for all." Zoey said.

**I know…not much action in this one but I needed to get Zoey well (kinda) before we went into action. Don't worry the next chapter will be action packed for sure. They are almost to safety but come on, we all know that it doesn't go that smoothly! (EVIL LAUGH)**


	24. The Wrong Kind of End

**Hello again! Sorry it has been a while. I've been suffering from writer's block, but I think I have my muse back. First, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. I had someone break into my house on Christmas eve and steal my X-box and Kinect (which I bought the week before Christmas) and a few games, luckily they did not steal my Left 4 Dead games, I had them hidden to keep my kids from scratching them, lol! Anyway, I'm pretty bummed about it, especially my Kinect. We had an extra x-box that met the red rings of death, but a friend of mine knew how to fix it! Anyway, I'm rambling…I went on Youtube and got my muse back for this story. I want everyone that can, do to me a favor. Get on Youtube and look up the left 4 dead intro…the first game. When you find that, open a new tab and find the song "The Beginning is the end is the Beginning" by the Smashing Pumpkins (the slower version) and play them simultaneously. You have to start both as close to the same time as possible and watch the magic begin! Listen to the words of the song and what is happening in the intro it's like it was made for that intro. It's kinda crazy! If you do that, or have done that already, let me know what you think. Now….on with the story. **

"What are we waiting for? It's time we finish this once and for all." Zoey said.

She winced as tried to stand. Her back was on fire, but she tried to hide it from the guys. It was too late. They had seen her face and the pain etched on it. Zoey walked to the door, ready to leave. None of the men followed her. She turned slowly back to stare at them, each one wearing the same expression. Bill, Francis and Louis stood as still as statues, studying her.

"What?" she asked confused. None of them answered at first.

Her body began to ache. The blood loss was significant, she knew that, but they had no time to waste. They had wasted enough time already and would be lucky if anyone was up on that roof to rescue them.

"Zoey…," Bill started.

"No! Let's go now, before it's too late," Zoey said cutting him off.

She knew where his thoughts were. All of them were thinking the same thing. They wanted to wait it out just a bit longer to make sure she was alright. They wanted to risk their moment of rescue to make sure that she could handle this after being violently attacked.

Being so close to possibly getting out of here, made the hellish nightmare of the past few weeks come crashing down on her. She turned her back to the men, looking at the door. Her hand were shaking and had turned white with the force she was using to hold the doorknob. She knew, before they even said it, what was about to happen.

"Zoey, you aren't ready to go yet. You need more time." It was Francis' voice that quietly spoke. Zoey snapped her eyes shut. They wanted to wait it out, as if they had the time to just sit around and chit chat. The time had finally arrived. They had made it to Mercy Hospital and now they were just suppose to sit around and wait for her to heal up? She felt enormous rage and for a second she was lost in the feeling.

Zoey turned back to the men, her anger bubbling over. "Wait? Wait on what Francis? Wait for rescue to come to us? Wait for them to climb down here and help us? Or maybe you would rather wait for those things to bust in here and take us one by one" Zoey's voice was low and dangerous. She saw the surprise in Francis' eyes, and at the moment, she did not care. The rage was so overwhelming and Zoey could not control her words.

Zoey…," Francis said taking a step towards her, "Just a couple of more days and you should be okay to face those things out there. All we need is a couple of days." Zoey let out a humorless laugh. The men looked at her worriedly. She thought for just a moment she was losing her mind. Maybe she was, though, who would blame her in this situation. Her mind kept telling her that something was not right. They had to get out of this room now.

"What makes you, any of you, think that we have days to wait? We are here, after everything we've been through, we are finally here, and all you want to do is wait? You all can go to hell!"

Zoey's anger was staggering. She had no idea where it was coming from. Maybe it was the combination of weeks of death, the bottle of vodka she drank for the pain, and the excruciating pain in her back, but something inside of her was telling her it was more than all of those thing. It was something more uncontrollable than she could ever imagine. Whatever it was, it was bubbling to the surface, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Zoey, just listen to us for a second," Francis took another step towards her. As he did, she took one back. She did not want him near her. Her back rubbed against the door, and she had to hold in her cries. This made her more angry. She would not be the reason they could not make it out of here.

"No! You all listen to me. I am perfectly fine. Does my back hurt a little? Yes it does but it is nothing I can't handle" she said angrily.

"Yeah, well we need you at one hundred percent kid, we can't take any chances," Bill piped in.

She turned her angered eyes from Francis to Bill. "What do you know about one hundred percent? We've had to haul your ass plenty of times," she seethed.

"Zoey, what the hell has gotten into you?" Louis said confused.

She looked at him and laughed. "And you, what have you contributed to this Louis? You have held us back on numerous occasions." Her head began to spin with dizziness. She needed to sit down before she fell.

"Zoey, what the fuck are you doing?" Francis asked confused.

She turned away from them. Her breathing was rapid as her eyes darted, frantically, around her. Zoey could feel a feeling of such hate rising through her entire being. It started at her feet and rose to her head. She felt it wanting to tear it's way out from the inside.

"Zoey, look at me please." She could hear the fear in Francis' voice. Zoey dared not turn to look at him. It was all she could do not to… Zoey froze. The images running through her head were horrifying. She saw herself raise her gun, pointing it at the man she loved and pulling the trigger. She watched as his chest cavity opened and blood poured out onto the floor beneath him. Then, she saw Bill and Louis hitting the ground, a bullet hole in both of their heads. She grabbed her head and squeezed it, as if that would get the images to go away. The rage continued to build within her.

"Oh God!" she whispered as she rushed away from an advancing Francis. The visions kept coming, one after the other, of the men, her guys, falling to the ground dead at her hands. The blood, so much blood, oozing towards her as she stood there laughing at their corpses.

Zoey pulled her hair, the pain did nothing to quench the rage. She was trying to pry the images out of her thoughts. What was happening to her? How on earth could she ever imagine doing something like that to the only people that mattered to her?

"Zoey, please look at me," Francis whispered. He was scared, she could hear it. Her eyes were wide with shock and horror. The anger and hate was still trying to make it's way to the surface. Then, something happened that drove her even more to the edge. In the silence of the room, Zoey coughed. It was small, but it was there. The silence became thick, as the men stared at her. Zoey coughed again, her back still to the men.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Francis broke the silence as he watched Zoey hunched over, coughing. He did not hesitate this time. He rushed to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her towards him. Zoey looked into his eyes, matching his terrified stare. Blood oozed from her nose. Francis let out a strangled sound as he raised his shaking hand to her, wiping the blood from her face. "Zoey," he whispered.

Zoey heard Bill and Louis suck in another breath. They knew, just as Francis knew, what was going on. Zoey knew to, for she felt it trying to break free. Her heart was racing faster than it should be. Her skin was tingling, as an arm tingles from being slept on wrong. Her blood was rushing through every part of her body, trying to keep up with her racing heart. Her head ached beyond comprehension. The pounding in her ears were deafening, yet it could not keep out the sound of Francis' sobs.

Francis grabbed her and held on to her, as if his life depended on it. Zoey stood there in shock, understanding raining down upon her. Bill and Louis stood and stared in disbelief, their faces were in pain. She coughed again in Francis' arms, and he held her tighter, not wanting to believe what his heart already knew.

In the silence of the room, Zoey could hear the infected outside the door. Their mumbling and crying filled her ears and her eyes slammed shut. Confusion and helplessness flowed through her veins as she fought against the knowledge of what was happening.

"Francis, please…," she started but could not finish. The tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. She did not fight them, nor did she care if they fell. She began to cough uncontrollably as Francis tightened his hold, as if he thought that would make this go away. Zoey could feel the anger rising again. She raised her hands and grabbed on to the back of Francis' vest, digging her nails into his back.

"Get…off…of…me," she growled. She threw him off of her with all of her strength. Francis staggered backwards, barely keeping upright. He looked at her stunned and hurt. She felt the rage die down and her sorrow filled the gap.

"Oh God Francis, I'm so sorry," she cried. Francis did not move. He watched her, the tears running down his own face. Zoey bent over as a fit of coughing seized her breath. She heard Francis take a step towards her and stop. She spit blood onto the floor and stared, wide eyed, at it. There was a collection of gasps in the room.

Zoey started to walk backwards, away from the men. Her eyes stared at the blood on the floor. Blood still oozed from her nose. It seeped into her mouth. Her eyes looked to Francis, begging him to make it better. This was not suppose to happen. It was never suppose to end like this. The rage began to fight it's way back out and she stuffed it down as hard as she could.

"No!" she growled to herself.

All of these weeks were for nothing. Everything that she had done up until this point was all in vain. She would not make it to safety. Her life would end today, as she would become the one thing she had fought against all of this time. The tears streamed down her face as she waged war with herself on the inside. She waged war with the rage that she did not know existed. The coughing began again and she turned away, not wanting the men to see more blood.

She felt someone softly grab her arms, bringing her towards them. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her body, cradling her next to him. Zoey knew it was Francis without even looking. His sobs echoed in her ears. She noticed her back did not hurt so much anymore. It was plastered to Francis' chest, yet there was no pain.

"I'm changing Francis," she wept.

He did not say a word, just held her tighter. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing in his arms.

"_Oh God, I'm changing!" _she screamed.

Zoey had no strength left. Her feet came out from underneath her. Francis lost his strength as well, as the truth hit home. They dropped to the ground, still holding one another. Zoey screamed over and over that she was changing. She could feel it. Her heart was at speeds that would soon kill her. The blood inside her began to quicken it's pace around her body, filling each crevice with the power it needed when her heart died.

The rage burst through this time, before she could stop it. She grabbed Francis by the throat, squeezing as hard as she could. He sat there, not fighting her at all, as she squeezed harder. Her stare was a mask of pure hate, her eyes blazing with it. Francis just looked at her, love pouring from his eyes, trying to soothe her rage.

"_NO!" _she shouted as she let him go and scooted away from him. Zoey looked at Francis, both of them grieving. "Francis, kill me," she whispered.

"Zoey, my God, no!" Louis cried. His wide eyes stared at her shaking form. She wanted to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay, but she knew it was not. It was only a matter of time before she would be an infected.

"I don't understand," Bill spoke, confusion pouring out with every word. Everyone but Francis, who's eyes were glued to the woman in front of him, turned to look at him. "You're immune," he whispered.

"You are suppose to be immune," he said stunned.

Yes, she was suppose to be immune, but she could feel the monster within her, trying to get out. The witch had done something to her. Their blood mixed and it must have been powerful enough to change her. Zoey put her face in her hands as she coughed again. The cough was getting deeper, bringing to the surface more blood. She knew what had to be done, but she knew they would not do it. The men had to keep going. There was still a possibility that rescue was in reach. Zoey began to cry harder when it dawned on her that she would not be going with the men.

There was a loud crash and Zoey looked up to see Francis beating the end of his shotgun into a table. He was screaming in fury as he took his anger out on the gun. Zoey watched helplessly as the men tried to restrain him, but he was too caught up in his anger. She could feel that anger penetrate everything in the room and she smiled, basking in it's feel.

"_NO!" _She grabbed her head and screamed.

The beating stopped as Francis turned to look at the woman he loved, rocking back and forth, holding her head. He dropped the broken shotgun and walked slowly to Zoey, as if he were in a daze. His legs would barely listen to his brain's command. He stood before her, his tears falling to her head. Francis fell to his knees before her, reaching his hand out and touching her head lightly. Zoey cringed away from him, scared of what she might do.

"_I'm not afraid of you,"_ he whispered.

Slowly, she raised her tear stained eyes to him. Their eyes locked and she fell into his arms, weeping uncontrollably. She could not stop crying, her tears came and would not stop. He stroked her head shushing her to calm down. She could tell that he was barely keeping himself under control.

"I won't let you be one of those things," he told her.

She raised her eyes towards him. "You can not stop this Francis."

Her words hit her hard. It was if Zoey finally understood what was going to happen. She reached her hands up to his face and touched him softly. She had never known completeness until she had met Francis. The coughing hit her again and she grabbed her mouth, begging the blood not to come up.

"Zoey, look at me," Francis said, raising her face to his. The blood ran down her mouth, he wiped it away. His face crumbled as her eyes glazed over for a second. _"Zoey, you stay with me do you hear me!"_ he screamed.

She fought the monster within and it cringed back beneath herself. Her eyes focused back on Francis. "It happens so quick," she whispered.

He grabbed her face and held her, staring directly into her eyes. "You're stronger than this Zoey. You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. You can fight this." His voice was adamant, as if he truly believed what he was saying. He slowly kissed her mouth, pouring into her his very soul. She responded to him, knowing their kisses were numbered. He broke the kiss, moving his lips to her closed eyes, to her forehead, to her cheeks, to her neck and back to her mouth. His kisses were fevered, as if he knew this would be the last one.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," he whispered in her ear. She wept openly at this. Her cries matching his own. "You are my life. I can't do this without you Zoey."

He was going to have to. She knew that and so did he. Zoey looked at Francis and brought her hands up, holding his face. The rage-filled monster within her, begged to be let out. Being so close to Francis, the thing wanted to tear his face open. She fought it with the strength that she had for Francis. He saw her struggling but did not move away from her. If she tried to kill him, Zoey did not think that he had the strength to fight her.

"There…there was much I had…wanted for us Francis." Zoey thought about a future that would never be. "We can still have that Zoey," Francis said softly.

Zoey's face scrunched up pain. "I did not know I could love someone this much until I met you Francis. You have to go on…please, for me. You guys have a chance to find safety, a place that you do not have to run from anymore. For me, Francis, do not let…let that chance die in this room."

It was getting harder for her to think of the words she wanted to say. In between the constant fight for control and the deafening sound of her heart, she was slowly losing the battle within.

Zoey looked down at her gun, which was beside her leg. She grabbed it and placed it in Francis' hand. He looked at her dumbfounded. Francis' hand dropped to the ground, as if the weight of the gun was too heavy. His head started to shake back and forth.

"For me!" she begged.

His eyes opened wide. "If you truly and completely love me Francis, do not let me become one of them."

Her voice was becoming foreign to her, as if she were out of her body, watching the scene unfold somewhere else. Her vision began to blur and the tears sped up, spilling over her eyelids. _"No! Zoey, don't leave me please!" _he yelled.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling as though she were losing the war within herself. The rage was just a few short minutes from being too much to control. She wept openly as she grabbed her head. Francis tried to bring her hands down to her side but she was becoming stronger than him.

"We were going to find a place where none of this ever happened. We were going to have a house, somewhere on a hill, overlooking a lake. In the winter time, we were going to sit out on the porch and watch the lake freeze over. We were going to have children, a little girl that looked exactly like you, and a boy that was as strong as me. We were going to watch them ice skate on that lake and grow to be better people than you and I could ever imagine. We were going to grow old together." Francis' pain could be heard from miles and miles as he painted a picture for Zoey of what their lives could have been. Zoey could imagine everything that he said, right down to the children they would have had. It was funny to her how she could mourn something that did not even exist. Maybe it was the free will of those things that she mourned being taken away from her.

Footsteps approached Zoey, and she looked up to see Bill and Louis kneel down beside her and Francis. Their faces were wet with their own tears. She tried to give them a reassuring smile but all she could do was spit up more blood.

Zoey looked back at the gun in Francis' hand. She reached down and placed her hand over the gun. Looking back at Francis, her eyes showed her pain. "Please," she begged. He violently shook his head no.

"You were willing to shoot me at the bar that night when we thought I would turn then. Why can't you do it now when I need you to?" she asked angrily. The rage was almost to a crescendo.

"I could no more have shot you then as I could now Zoey. I was in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you."

His words were too much for her and she cried out in devastating pain. He gently wrapped his arms around her, bringing her inside his strong arms. They wept together as Bill and Louis joined them, wrapping their arms around them.

The four individuals, brought together by the worst disaster man had ever known, sat on the cold ground of Mercy Hospital, weeping for one of their own. The room was silent except for the sound of hearts breaking. "Francis' please," she growled. The raged-filled monster was almost out of it's cage. The men were sitting too close to her, a few more minutes and they would not be able to defend themselves from her assault.

She grabbed Francis' vest and began to squeeze tight. The pain in her head and chest began to grow. _"Ahhhh…" _she screamed from the pain.

This was it. This is what all of people, turned infected, out there went through. This is what her parents went through. Zoey cried out louder at the thought of her parents. She always wondered if her parents had suffered. Now she had received her answer.

The guys just held her tighter. Francis whispered his love for her over and over as she began to lose herself. "Get away from me," she screamed at them. Her rage began to boil over.

Zoey began to growl, her eyes seeing red. They looked menacing at Francis, her hate for him starting to replace her love. She wanted to scratch and claw his eyes out and then feed from his flesh.

His pain was ten-fold as he saw the change start to happen in her face. "I love you," he mouthed.

Through her rage she saw his lips move, the words becoming harder to understand. Zoey felt her arms being held by Bill and Louis.

"We love you so much Zoey," she heard Louis cry softly.

Zoey bared her teeth at Francis, but he did not move. She tried to jump at him, but she was held back by Bill and Louis. "You will always be the best of us Zoey. I love you," Bill whispered.

Zoey screamed in rage at being held back. She wanted to feed from this man's flesh and blood. She wanted to feel the blood as he went down her throat. _"I will kill you!" _she yelled at Francis. _"I will kill all of…"_ And then she felt it. Her heart erupted in her chest and Zoey fell back against the floor.

Zoey felt herself slowly start to slip away. The guys were yelling at her. Francis' screams were the loudest and she could feel him shaking her, begging for her to come back. Their voices sounded as though they were in a tunnel and she was the train that was leaving that tunnel. She could feel the monster replacing that which she was, but she did not have the strength to stop it. The rage and the anger, whatever that thing was, would have full reign of who she was.

Zoey was slowly slipping away but she still could feel the thing raise her body from the ground. Francis, Louis and Bill jumped back away from her. She heard growls coming from herself and tried everything in her power to gain back control, but it was no use. Her eyes focused on the men…her family. They were staring at her, watching her with anguish and hurt baring down upon them. Francis still had the gun in his hand, but it was not aimed at her.

'Please kill me Francis, please before I kill you,' she screamed, but they could not hear her. She grabbed a hold of what little she could of herself, feeling the battle being lost to stay. Francis' eyes were red and swollen from crying. The tears were still streaming down his dirty face. He looked as though he were a man that had lost everything.

"Francis, do it." She heard Bill say brokenly.

Francis raised the gun and pointed it directly between Zoey's eyes. She felt the rage-filled monster stir. Her body dipped low, getting ready to spring on Francis. She watched as the gun faltered a moment in his hands, as if he was going to lower it. He could still feel her inside, but she did not have the control he thought she did. Her eyes still showed him that a part of her lived. Zoey could see that and knew there was only one thing she could do.

"I…I…will al…always love…you," she growled out.

With those words, she gave complete control to the rage-filled monster and knew no more. Francis saw the moment he lost her and screamed out in agony. The infected, that had taken over her body, sprinted towards Francis, Bill and Louis, screaming in rage.

The last thing that was heard, in the room, was the sound of a gun shot and a body hitting the cold, hard floor.

**Okay, It has taken me about two hours to write this chapter. I have cried more doing this one scene than I have with any other thing that I have written. I have had writer's block for months because I did not want to have to write this scene, but just today it all came back to me and where I wanted to go with it. I hope you do not hate me too much. Before you ask…no this story isn't finished. Please let me know what you think! **


	25. The Fight for Survival

A scream ripped from Zoey's lips as her eyes came open. Darkness surrounded her. Her hands shot out in front of her looking for something to touch, something that would remind her of where she was. Her screams continued and nothing she did would stop them. Something moved beside her, and she felt a weight on her wrists. Something had a hold of her. Zoey struggled to break from, but the hold was too strong. Her body jerked and her legs kicked for freedom.

"Zoey! It's me…it's Francis!" His voice was coming out fast and she could hear the concern laced within.

All at once, the memories of everything came crashing down. She and the others were locked in a safe room at Mercy Hospital. They were so close to being out of this hell for good. Her relief did not last long as she remembered the dream she had just had.

Scrambling to her feet, Zoey walked backwards away from the guys. She knew that it had just been a dream and yet, the it felt so real. That feeling would not let go of her. She had turned into one of those things, those witches. She had tried to kill Francis and the others. Zoey could still feel the growls that came from her chest.

Francis stood to his feet slowly. His eyes were cautiously watching her as he took a step towards her. Zoey tried to move back from his advances, but the wall behind her stopped her movements. Francis froze.

"Zoey, I'm not going to hurt you. Come on, you know me!"

She could hear desperation in his voice. By the look on his face, Francis was wondering if she had finally snapped. Who could blame her after everything they had been through. Bill and Louis came and stood beside Francis. Their faces matched Francis' concerned one.

"Whatever it was, it was just a dream," Bill said softly.

Zoey closed her eyes to get her breathing under control. Some damn dream that was. She had had a lot of dreams that felt like they were real, but something about this one trumped any other before it.

"_I'm not one of them!" _Zoey whispered frantically.

"No…no you're not," Louis said.

Zoey looked down at her trembling hands. There was nothing scary or out of place about them. They were smooth as usual. She swallowed hard to try and grab on to some kind of sanity. Her body ached, which was a reminder to her of the meeting that she had with a witch. That thing almost tore her to pieces.

Francis took another step closer to her. This time, Zoey held still. She slowly looked up at the man coming towards her. His reached up for her to take. Zoey looked at for a moment. The dream still lingering in her mind. She was not one of those things, nor would she hurt the guys. They were her family and she would do anything to protect them. No, she was not a monster.

"Francis," Zoey breathed.

That was all he needed to close the gap and wrap his strong arms around her. She grabbed his shirt and dug her nails into the fabric, as if she feared he would be snatched away from her. They held on to each other until Zoey felt as if she could walk on her own again.

He led her to her sleeping bag, handing her some much needed water. The men sat around her, watching her. She tried to give them a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a grimace. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, none of them knew exactly what to say. Each of them knew what was out there waiting for them. Each of them knew that freedom could be only a couple of floors away and yet, there was an army between them and that freedom.

"How many do you think are out there?" Louis asked. His voice broke through the thick silence.

"The same number that has been everywhere else Louis. It's nothing we haven't seen before."

Bill tried to assure the younger man, but Zoey could hear doubt in his voice. For some reason, you could feel that this was different from the rest. This was not going to be like the other times they ran into the infected. This was going to be the biggest battle of their lives. Zoey knew that it wasn't just the thought of being so close to getting out that made her feel that way. There was something in the air. Something that was almost so thick you could touch it.

"Zoey, we can wait a little bit longer if you're not ready. We need you to be strong and if you feel that you aren't you have to tell us. We can wait as long as it takes."

Zoey looked at Bill. A sad smile played on her lips. "No we can't Bill. We have already waited long enough."

The four humans looked at each other. There was so much that Zoey wanted to say to her guys. They had never left her. From the moment they all met at the bar, they had never given up on each other. It was almost as if they were meant to find each other.

"Thank you guys," Zoey whispered.

Three sets of eyes started at her. She could see the love they had for her and it almost made her burst into tears. There was a finality about this, whether it meant they didn't have to run anymore, or it meant that they would all be dead soon. Zoey wasn't sure.

"I don't regret going in that bar now." Louis said softly. "I did at first, but I believe it saved my life." Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. She had seldom seen him cry. Zoey reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly in her small ones. He smiled a watery smile and squeezed her hands.

"We aren't gonna talk like this is the end! We are so close!" Francis said.

Zoey turned to look at him. His eyes pleaded with her.

"If we are going to do this, it needs to be now. Everything is packed and ready to go," Bill chimed in.

He stood and walked towards the door, Louis followed suit. Zoey and Francis remained seated. He grabbed her hand and held on tightly. He stared down at her small fingers intertwined with his. They were shaking slightly and Zoey wasn't sure if it was from her or Francis.

"Whatever happens out there, stay close to me." His voice was low and she had to strain to hear him. He still was staring at their intertwined hands. His thumb slowly rubbed hers.

Zoey took a deep breath and spoke, "Don't you dare try to be a hero out there Francis. You get to safety, do you understand? You promise me that no matter what happens, you will get to safety?"

His face slowly came up to look at her. He let go of her hand and stood up. His hands came to rest at his hips, as his face looked down at Zoey.

"_I can't promise that," _he whispered. Zoey did not think he would, but she had to try.

Reaching down, Francis helped Zoey to stand. He held her close to him, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, soaking in what could be the last sweet touch he ever gave her. Their lips met briefly and then he was walking towards Louis and Bill. This was it. This was the end.

* * *

Everywhere, on every floor were infected. They stood in hallways and hid in rooms. Everyone of them reacting the same way as the humans made their way forward. To Zoey, they were running in slow motion. The light beams from their guns shown steadily in front of them. Soon, their guns were pointed in ever direction as the sound of bullets made contact with flesh. There would be a scream and then a body falling to the ground. The sight of some infected, still clothed in hospital gowns, did not go unnoticed. These people had come to Mercy Hospital for help, only to be turned into the monsters they feared.

"This way!" Bill yelled. He was pointing towards the elevators. Zoey prayed that they still worked. It would help to cut some time off of their journey towards the top.

There was a scream behind them, but before Zoey could turn to look, Francis turned and aimed his shotgun. The sound of the blast was deafening to Zoey. She could feel the heat coming off of the muzzle and the smoke hung thick around her.

They slammed into the elevator, desperately trying to find a way to pry it open. It was clear, there was only one way to get the door open. Zoey swallowed hard. The sound of the elevator rising would be enough to wake ever infected around them. It was hopeless to think the elevator would be open and ready for them to jump in. They were never that lucky.

"Damn it!" Louis said in anger.

"Well, there's only one way to do this. Let's hope it doesn't take the elevator long to get up here," Bill said.

Zoey searched around them to find a good place to hold out until the elevator arrived. Again, she should have known it wouldn't be that simple. They found themselves in an open area. To stay near the elevator, it would mean to stand with no protection. The only place to have any hope of fighting off an infected attack would be in the corner where a broken gurney now lay.

"Over there," Zoey said, pointing to the corner. The guys looked over, contemplating their odds. It wasn't good by any means, but it beat just standing there.

"It might work. Our backs would be covered. It would give us an opportunity to have each person watching each corner. What choice do we have?" Francis asked.

"Fine! Get ready and I'll hit the button," Bill offered.

With that, Zoey, Francis, and Louis got into place. As usual the men surrounded her, almost pushing her behind them, but she wouldn't allow that. She would contribute. She pushed them off of her and the complied. They knew that they needed her gun to. They held their guns out. Bill nodded one last time before he hit the button and ran towards them.

The sound of metal on metal erupted in the quiet atmosphere. Zoey could not help but cringe. Her ears were either playing tricks on her or the sound was the loudest sound she had ever heard. She found that she wasn't the only one cringing. The guys felt the same way. It wasn't very long before the familiar sound of screams began to grow. Zoey squeezed her gun and said a silent prayer. They would get through this, she just knew it.

"Here they COME!" Bill shouted.

As if his shouts were their cue, the infected came running from every direction. Zoey began to fire, watching one by one as the infected fell to the ground. It did not matter, for two more infected would take it's place. She did not let it get to her. Her one goal was to continue shooting until every bullet was gone. Or, until the elevator door came open.

There was a loud crash to her right and she turned, horrified, to see the wall beside them being knocked down. The infected were crawling out of the gapping whole like roaches. Zoey and Louis turned and began plowing into the nearest infected. Bill and Frances tried to take care of the infected coming in the other directions.

"FUCK!" Zoey screamed as something grabbed her leg. Looking down, Zoey began to be pulled down as she saw an infected on his stomach, trying to bring her feet out from underneath her. The barrel of Francis' shotgun came into view and slammed into the head of the infected. Zoey did not have time to breath easy because it gave another infected time to get close to Francis. He stumbled forward as three more infected grabbed him.

"Francis!" Bill screamed.

Zoey began to swing her gun, knocking the infected away from her. She desperately tried to reach Francis, but the closer she got to him, he would stumble away from her. She could hear him breathing hard as his arms swung around him, trying to find a way out. Bill and Louis fought their way towards him as well. In horror, Zoey realized that they were moving away from their corner. Where once their backs were covered, now the infected came from every angle.

Zoey felt hands reach up and grab her gun. The infected were trying to force it out of her hands and she fought against them. She kicked and swung with everything she had.

"LOOK! It's opening," Louis screamed.

They all looked towards the elevator and saw the doors gently slide open. It was a beautiful sight to behold. That picture alone gave Zoey the strength she needed to fight towards the door. She noticed the same thing was happening with the guys. They were fighting for their freedom. Something grabbed her from behind and she began to fight against it. She was unsuccessful as whatever it was picked her p and threw her into the elevator. She hit the ground hard, but got to her feet as fast as she could.

"Hit the top floor Zoey!" Bill screamed as he jumped into the elevator. Louis and Francis were right behind him and Zoey did not hesitate.

As the doors slowly shut, something pink flew by her vision and captured Louis around his waist. She would know that thing from anywhere. With wide eyes, Zoey saw the smoker standing just a few feet away, trying to drag Louis out before the door closed. Louis was jerked towards the door and Zoey grabbed him by the arm, as if she had the strength to stop his movements. Francis grabbed his other arm and just for a moment the movement stopped. It didn't last. Louis was jerked forward again, taking Zoey and Francis with him. Bill began to shoot at the pink tongue but it did not let go of it's victim.

"Close you fucking door!" Francis yelled.

At the last moment, the door closed. The smoker and infected were no longer standing before them. Their momentum sent them towards the doors, slamming into them hard. Zoey crumbled to the ground, breathing hard through the pain.

"Well, that was fun." Bill said humorless.

Francis grabbed Zoey's hand and squeezed hard. She realized, somehow, he was the one that threw her into the elevator. She squeezed his hand back in thanks. Slowly, she got to her feet. Her hand held firmly to the side of the elevator to steady herself. For a moment, she hoped that would be it. A part of her knew that she was stupid for even thinking it. It was only the beginning.

"When these elevator door open, we run. We don't stop until we see sunlight!" Bill said in his best military voice. It did the trick as everyone shook their heads in agreement. Zoey breathed deeply a few times to calm her racing heart.

"Almost there," she chanted in a whisper.

Everyone looked to see how far they had left to go. Only three more floors and the doors would come open. Zoey stood straight, grabbing her gun and aiming it before her. Her hands no longer shook. She found the determination to believe that, in fact, it was almost over.

_Ding_! The elevator door rolled open and Bill shouted for them to move. They began to run towards the end of the hall. Zoey did not have time to shoot, she just ran. The guys around her took care of the few infected around. It was easier than she had thought it would be.

Coming to the end of the hall, they noticed a room to their left. Coming inside, they noticed a small entrance to the inner part of the hospital. It was part of the elevator shafts. They ran towards it, crawling inside. Looking around, they noticed a latter shooting up towards a bright light.

"Outside!" Louis said excided.

The four humans ran with new found strength. One by one, they climbed the latter. Bill led the way. Zoey's foot hit the bottom latter and she did not stop. She could feel the sun's rays shinning on top of her head and it felt as if life was being breathed into her.

Coming to the top, her feet hit the hot asphalt. When she was steady, she raised her gun, looking for any infected. There were a few, but Louis was making good work of them. Looking around her, she saw a small building ahead. She could barely make anything out in the room, but something told her to head that way.

"This way guys," she said.

They followed her down another latter towards the small building. The first thing she noticed was the weapons and ammunition. It was like water to a thirsty man. There were a few pipe bombs and she smiled despite herself. Someone was still looking out for them.

"_Hello, this is Private Cody Jackson of the United States Marine Corp. If anyone is alive out there and is reading this signal, there is help still out there. There is a military base for shelter. If you can hear this, speak to me through the microphone. We have set up a pick up at Mercy Hospital and waiting for reply. Again, this is Private Cody Jackson of the United States Marine Corp."_

Everyone froze, looking at the box that held a microphone. The person on the other end repeated the message. Zoey was amazed that after all this time, they were still holding out hope for survivors. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Bill did not hesitate. He walked to the microphone and pushed the button.

"Hello! There are four survivors on top of Mercy Hospital. I repeat, there are four survivors on top of Mercy Hospital. We need to be picked up A.S.A.P. We are surrounded.

"_Oh God! Colonel Humphries, there's someone responding!"_ the voice said excitedly.

"_Hello, this is Colonel Gene Humphries of the United States Marine Corp. Who am I speaking with."_

"My name is Bill and I am here with three other survivors. We are on top of the Mercy Hospital building. We need assistance immediately."

There was a brief pause. Nothing but static could be heard inside of the small building. Zoey held her breath as she waited for a response.

"_And assistance is what you are going to get son. We are on our way. My next instructions are very important. To your right, you will see healthy supply of weapons. It will take us a fifteen minutes to get there. For that long you must defend yourselves until we can sweep in there and grab you."_

"It looks pretty clear right now," Bill responded.

Again there was a pause. This time, the pause made Zoey's insides churn. This was not going to be good.

"_It won't be that way for long son."_

Zoey swallowed hard. Francis was swearing softly beside her. "What does that mean?" Louis asked softly to no one in particular.

"_For our system to helicopters to find you, we will have to send out a signal. Somehow, we aren't sure yet, the infected can hear that signal and it drives them crazy. They will descend upon you fast and with numbers too great to count. You have the weapons there, you can use them."_

"What do you mean to find us? You know damn well where we are. I just told you!" Bill said angrily.

_You don't understand. The technology that you are used to in this day and time no longer exist. Yes, we know where you are but to find you in our helicopters isn't that simple anymore. The landscape has changed along with our technology. We could be headed towards Africa thinking we are headed towards Mercy Hospital for all we know. Do what you must to survive and I swear we will come get you four. Whenever you are ready, let me know. I'll start the signal."_

Zoey looked at the guys, they all were staring at the microphone as they expected someone to jump out of it.

"Let's look around for a moment before we tell them to start," Bill said.

Zoey did as he said, walking out of the small building and looking around. There was not many places to hide and she had to swallow the fear down. They would be sitting ducks for however long it took the Marine Corp to get to them. Looking up, Zoey saw Francis walk up to a huge gun. It was on top of the small building, facing in the direction of where they climbed out through the hospital onto the roof.

Francis picked the hulk of machine up by the handles and moved it around, trying to get the feel of it. He looked like a kid in a candy store. He was in awe of it. She caught his eye and he winked at her. Zoey couldn't help but smile. It looked good on him.

"This will do nicely," he said to himself.

Zoey continued looking around till every section was searched. It was a large roof, but there was a problem. There was only one section that held the ammo. They could not go far from the small building. Zoey feared that it would definitely pose a problem. She walked back in the small building, the guys were already there waiting. They stood in a circle, each one looking at the other.

"There is no way that we can leave this small building for long periods of time. The ammo is here and we get stuck out there with no ammo, we're dead," Bill said. Everyone agreed with him.

"The machine gun on top of this roof will help, but it can't just be one person on the roof. The building is short enough that they can climb up in every direction. Whoever is on that gun will be taken out fast," Francis chimed in.

"I say we stick together. Where one goes, the other goes. We've gotten this far together. If we split up now, it's all over," Louis said.

There was silence as each one considered their options. Again, Zoey was struck by the finality of the situation. One way or another it would end in a few moments. Their odds were not good that it would end in their favor, but when had it ever been good for them. In all honesty, they should have been dead the night at the bar.

"You guys ready for this?" Bill asked.

"Yes," Louis answered.

"Yes," Zoey breathed.

"NO," Francis said half joking.

Bill reached over and grabbed Zoey, Louis and Francis, hugging them as if he were afraid they would slip away. "Whatever happens here, you guys are my family. It's been worth every second being with each of you." Zoey squeezed her eyes shut as Bill's voice quivered with emotion. He never showed this side of him. Bill was the bad, touch guy. Now, he was as vulnerable as the others.

They let go of each other, but Bill kept his hold on Zoey. His dark, green eyes, which held more sadness than was normal, looked deep into her own browns. His shaking hand slide up to her head and held her face gently. He slowly lowered his lips to her forehead and gently kissed her. Zoey did not try to stop the tears. Bill let go of her then and turned to Francis.

Louis was the next to embrace Zoey. He held her tight to him. He was trying to keep from crying himself, but he wasn't doing a good job. _"You're the sister I never had. I love you Zoey!"_ he whispered. She couldn't speak, her voice caught in emotion. She squeezed him harder showing her response. Louis slowly let her go and turned to embrace Bill.

She could feel him close, yet couldn't look him in the eyes. She did not want to see the tears if they were present. She would completely crumble if Francis was crying. He engulfed her in his arms, breathing in the scent of her hair. She dug her fingernails into his chest, begging God not to make her let go.

"_It's always been you Zoey. You are the one thing that I have searched my whole life to find. The one thing that would make me feel whole." _Francis leaned back and took Zoey's face in his hands_. "I do not question the reason why I met you. I am thankful for it and no matter what happens today, I will always be thankful for it. You are my bright light on the darkened path," _he whispered.

She crushed her lips to his, drinking in the feel of him. She agreed, no matter what happened today, she was thankful to have had the chance to know him. No matter what Francis thought of himself, he made her a better person. He made her want to be a better person. She had never known that feeling before.

"It's time," Bill's voice broke through.

Zoey started walking away from Francis. She had decided to stand beside the ammo for now. There was a window to her left and she would shoot anything that tried to crawl in. Slowly, she dropped to one knee. Looking out the window, she was captivated at the sight of the setting sun. Even in the mist of such destruction, it was such a beautiful sight to behold. Even through all of the death, the day continued on and started anew. Tomorrow would come whether she was a part of it or not. For some odd reason, she took comfort in the thought of the world not ending just because she did.

"We're ready," Bill said through the microphone.

The was a small crackle of static and then the Colonel's voice spoke, _"Okay. Remember, they will be coming once the signal is sent. I've already got helicopters up in the air waiting. We will get to you as soon as we can. There is a red button on the panel. When you are ready, push it and we will come. Stay alive!"_

The speaker went silent and Bill swallowed hard. His hand hovered above the red button. Zoey could see his hands trembling from her corner. He looked at them one more time, giving them a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"_God help us,"_ Bill whispered as his finger came down on the button.

Nothing happened. Zoey tensed for some noise, something to draw the infected out but there was nothing, just a small whistling sound like wind blowing through a window. She looked around, confused, and saw that the men were wearing the same expressions.

"Is it bro…" Francis stated, but he was cut off by the loud scream. On instinct, Zoey covered her ears. It was the loudest scream she had ever heard. It was louder than any of the other screams combined. They had run into the hoard before, but this sounded like millions of them coming in their direction. Fear took over and Zoey was desperate to beat it back down. It would do her no good to lose her courage.

"Get ready!" Bill shouted over the screams.

They were everywhere. Climbing over each other to get to the small building. They kept coming, no end in sight. Everywhere the eyes could look, there were infected running. Their faces wore masks of hate and fury. Their screams grew ever louder as they came closer. Zoey's own loud breathing was masked in the enormous eruption of sound.

The next sound was that of four guns blazing in the sunset. Time seemed to slow down in Zoey's mind as the infected tried to crawl through the window. One, two, three infected fell dead but there was always more to take it's place. Her gun clicked and Zoey screamed that she was reloading. Louis took up her slack and shot the infected closest to her.

The door burst open and the infected ran towards the humans. Their blooded eyes zoned in on their prize. Bill started taking care of the those, while Francis shot the infected coming in the opposite window from Zoey's.

When her gun was loaded again, Zoey jumped back in to the action. She shot one after the other. Something told her that this was just the start. They could sit here and shoot these infected all day and be okay, but it wasn't going to be that easy. As in a game of chess, you always send in the pawns first. It didn't take too long for Zoey to realize she was right. Over the screams, she heard the sound of several coughs and growls. The next phase had begun. She kept her eyes searching for the smoker and hunter.

"_Smoker!" _Louis screamed.

It was too late. Zoey felt it grab her and jerk her towards the window. Her screams mixed in with the others. Half of her body was out of the window when she felt someone grab her leg. Then she felt another. Looking behind her, she saw Francis and Louis trying to pull her back in with one hand, and fighting with the other. The infected grabbed Zoey, pulling at her clothes and hair. Some were trying to pull her towards them.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a loud machine gun. The hold around Zoey's waist was gone and she fell to the ground. Gunfire went off around her and Zoey stayed down to keep from getting hit. She scrambled to the window, trying to haul herself in. Francis grabbed her and jerked her towards him. He half dragged, half carried her up to the top of the small building. He sat Zoey on her feet and put her gun in her hand. She had dropped it when she was pulled out of the window.

She and Francis turned back to back to give Bill cover as he used the machine gun. He obliterated everything in sight. Louis stood around him, firing at everything that came close that wasn't human. It did not matter though, there were too many of them. The machine gun could go all night and it would not put a dent in their number.

The building began to shake. Zoey looked around frantically trying to find out why. Her eyes fell on the source of the shake and went wide. Running towards them in all of it's hideous glory was a Tank. Bill did not relent. He kept the machine gun trained on the Tank, but it was like throwing cotton balls at it. The thing kept coming after them. It got the building and started to climb the stairs. Francis and Zoey began to slowly take a step backwards. They watched in horror was the thing stood before them. It's eyes full of hate looked straight at the humans and he charged.

Everyone lurched out of the way. Zoey drove to the ground just in time for the Tank's hand to swipe the air above her head. She struggled to her feet and began to run towards the stairs. She could hear the guys behind her.

"Run Zoey, run!" Francis screamed.

There was no where to run though. The stairs were jammed with infected. All of them were trying to get in on the action. Zoey used the butt of her gun to make a path, but it was no use. The infected would not so much as budge an inch.

"It's coming!" Bill shouted.

Francis dug in his back pocket and brought a pipe bomb out. The sight of it almost made Zoey cry out in relief. Opening the top, he hit the red button and threw it as hard as he could. That was all that was needed to get them moving again. Running back into the room, the four humans turned around and began to pound the Tank with ammo. It did not seem to effect him at first, but slowly he began to go to one knee. It was working. A few more bullets and the Tank hit the ground hard.

"Louis, behind you," Bill called out.

They turned in time to see a Hunter leap towards Louis. He was able to bring his gun up just in time to shoot him in the chest. The Hunter fell dead to the ground. All around them, the windows and doors were closed up with infected again. Zoey ran to the ammo and reloaded, knocking infected away from her as she did. Suddenly there was a scream to her right and she looked over to see Bill and Francis both being pulled from the window. "NO!" she screamed.

Louis rushed to them, only to be taken down by four infected. They picked him up and threw him out of the window. He landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. There were her boys, surrounded by infected, trying to stay alive. Before she could move, she also was pulled out of the window.

This was the end. They had finally come to the point of no return. Zoey was on her hands and knees, desperately trying to stand. She was being hit from every direction. Hands began to claw at the skin on her face. She swung with her arms, desperate to get away from the hands that held her. She began to chant over and over that she was going to die. She fought against it. She would refuse to die today, not like this. After everything they had been through, and to be so close to escaping this hell, she would not die like this.

Zoey felt someone slam into her and Francis' voice was screaming in her ear, "Run Zoey, I need you to run!."

Zoey looked around her frantically. There was no where to run. Suddenly, there was gunfire at her side and a small pathway was made. She did not waste time. Zoey had no idea where to run to, but she then noticed a sound ahead of her. Looking up, she saw the most breathtaking sight she had ever known. In the distance of the setting sun came three Black Hawk Helicopters. She let out a cry as tears burned her eyes.

"THIS WAY!" screamed Bill as he threw another pipe bomb behind them.

The infected raced towards it, giving Zoey and the guys the space they needed to make a run for the broken helipad. Zoey's legs felt like jelly, but she fought through it. The Helicopters were so close now. Their propellers could be heard over the screams. Again, time stood still as they ran for safety. She could hear Francis' fast breathing beside her, and Louis and Bills shoes hitting the ground.

Her vision was obscured for a moment as the ground came barreling up to her. They hit the ground loudly as it began to shake. Zoey was disoriented and searched around her for the reason why she was on her stomach.

"No, it can't be," Francis whispered beside her.

Looking over her shoulder, Zoey saw two Tanks running past the small building. They both stopped, as if they were one, and banged their enormous fists on the ground. Zoey's body trembled with the vibration. Suddenly, one of the Tanks picked up a large rock and hurled it towards one of the helicopters. It barely dodged out of the way.

"Go, go, go!" Bill yelled.

Everyone got to their feet and ran towards the broken helipad. Zoey wanted to look behind her, but she feared it would slow her down. If she was to die by a piece of asphalt being hurled towards her than so be it, she would not stop running.

The first of the helicopters landed as they made their way on the helipad. There was no discussion, no pulling straws. Zoey felt three pair of hands grab her and thrust her into the helicopter. She let out a cry of surprise. She landed on the floor hard and without thought, she turned and held her hand out for the others. Louis began to reach, but the pilot lurched the helicopter up and the right. Zoey grabbed the side of the door to hold on. Looking over, she watched as another big chunk of asphalt went sailing over the guys heads.

The helicopter began to rise and Zoey looked frantically at the pilot.

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING! MY FAMILY IS STILL DOWN THERE!" _she screamed.

"_We have one survivor on board, three more still remain, copy?" _the pilot said over the radio.

"_Affirmative, we hear you. Flight two, your in position for the next pickup, copy?"_

Zoey strained her head out of the opened door to see what was going on, but it was no use. She could not see anything.

"_Flight one, please advise we are taking a hit. I repeat we are taking a hit. We have one survivor on board, but two more remain, copy?_

Zoey's heart was about to explode in her chest. She ran to the other side of the helicopter, looking out of the open door but still could not see anything. She hit the side with her fist in frustration.

"_Flight three is aborting, I repeat, flight three is aborting. The beast is now on the helipad. I repeat, the beast is now on the helipad."_

"What does that mean?" Zoey asked fearfully.

The Marine next to her did not look her in the eyes. She knew before he even said it what it meant. Her body began to shake as her vision blurred_. "What does that mean!" _she screamed.

"It means that the helicopter didn't touch down. He…he had no clear path."

Zoey stared, wide eyed, at the soldier. "What about the two that were still down there?"

It was as if someone else were speaking. She did not recognize her own voice. Her mind was bombarded with so many thoughts at once that she had to grab her head to stop them. _"No, Bill…Francis," _she whispered.

Tears were streaming down her face. They had left them. They had left Bill and Francis to die. Her legs went out from under her and she fell the her knees. Looking out of the helicopter, she watched as the last of the sun faded away. "Francis," she wept.

Slowly, one of the helicopters rose to her vision and she could see Louis inside. He was standing at the open door, tears streaming down his face as well. He shook his head slightly, his eyes closing as his emotions overtook.

"We have to go back," she said softly.

No one seemed to hear her, so she said it louder. The soldier beside her turned to look at her. "There is nothing we can do. It's over," he said sadly.

Her eyes met Louis'. He looked as lost as she felt. It should not have ended like this. Either they all survived this or none of them. It couldn't be that just two survived. The pilot's speaker crackled and someone was saying something, but Zoey was too far gone to understand. Her eyes never left Louis.

"Roger that, that's good news," the pilot said.

She heard the other helicopter come up on the other side of the one she was in. Louis was staring at her, his own face a mask of anguish. Something caught his eye over her shoulder, and he began to stare. The look of complete shock washed over him and for a moment, Zoey was scared that somehow the infected were following him. For a split second, she let herself feel that that was okay. Without Francis, she didn't much care anymore.

Suddenly, Louis threw his fists in the air and screamed, _"YEAHHHHHHHH!"_

Zoey slowly turned to look behind her. All she saw at first was a big blur of black. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked again. It took a moment to comprehend what she was seeing. Her face became one of shock, like Louis' before. The only thing she could do was gasp.

Standing in the doorway of the third helicopter was Bill. In his smiling mouth was a cigarette. He looked as though he had always belonged there. He looked a little beat up but other than that, he was healthy. Bill slowly turned and looked behind him. Zoey saw a movement and then Francis came to stand beside Bill. He was beaming at her as she began to laugh. Now as she cried, it was tears happiness. Her guys were safe. She was safe. They had made it. Now, they were on their way to healing. Francis looked at her, and with just a simple mouthing of words, summed up her future. "I love you," was all he said.

**There will be one more chapter! Thanks peeps…now review!**


	26. In Zoey's Own Words

**As I sit here to write this last chapter, I feel all different kinds of emotions. It has taken me over two years to get to this point and finally here I am at the end. I didn't expect to feel sadness, but I do. I've had so much fun writing this story. Everyone who has commented, added it to their favorites and alerts and everyone else, thank you so much. You have made this journey for me worth it! I know that it took me forever to complete it, but it was worth every second. I had no intentions of letting this story not be finished. These characters and this story have been such a pleasure to write about. I wish I could write so much more to this story, but I know that it's time to end it. Thanks to VALVE for creating such a wonderful playground for me to play with. Don't ever hesitate to comment on this story, no matter how long after it is finished that you read it. Again…thank you! Now, it's time to say goodbye.**

Nothing can ever really prepare you for the end of the world. There isn't a manual or an instruction book on how to deal with everything. Most of the time it happens without warning. Sure, there are little hints here and there, but who really believes that one day they will wake up and find that everything they knew was gone? Everyone that they loved was going to be dead in less than a week. To a human mind, that is just not conceivable. Even for someone like me, someone who lives in the world of horror movies. I would have never thought this day would have come.

September 31st was the day that the world ended. The world as we knew it anyway. I often think back to that night in my dorm. I often wonder what would have become of me if I would have stayed. What would have happened if I would not have gotten in that car and ended up at the Red Striped Bar. When my mind wonders to that time, I have to close my eyes for a moment. My situation could have ended much worse. It was as simple as staying or leaving that set my fate in motion.

It's grown dark outside as the wind slowly whips my hair. This is my favorite time. In the silence of the night, I am allowed to remember what it's like to just be human. I am reminded of the things that are so easily taken for granted. The sound of the wind being one of them. If you really just sat and listened, it's almost as if it speaks to you. I come out here every night in hopes of hearing what it says. It might sound as if I have lost my mind, and maybe I have, but every so often I can hear it's sad song dancing around me. And through that sad song, I am reminded of how we came to be here and how I came to be on this porch.

When the helicopters touched down, I did not hesitate to run to Francis. He engulfed me in his strong arms and did not let me go. Bill and Louis came up to us and put their arms around us. My guys, my family were safe. We had done the unthinkable and survived the unspeakable evil. Francis held my face in his hands, kissing me as if he feared he would not ever be able to kiss me again. It was one of the most precious days of my life.

An armored truck was waiting to take us to the safe zone. There were no words spoken between us. In some way, we all held on to each other. Our minds could not comprehend that we were safe, that our journey was over. I looked at each of my guys, and though they were weary and worn, they smiled a youthful smile towards me. Even Bill, his cigarette burning to ashes.

When the truck came to a stop, we stepped out. Before us was a ship. With confused faces, we turned to the soldiers. The one that I had ridden with looked at us and smiled. It was a sad smile that held horrible memories.

"We have to leave the mainland. There is no safe place for us here," he said low.

I understood, so did the guys. Without a word, we got on the ship. I did not let myself look back. I held onto the rails at the front of the ship. My knuckles became white with the strain. I fought the urge to look back. What was there to look back for? There was nothing left for me on that side of the world. I felt someone come up behind me. Strong arms snaked around my waist and I smiled at the feeling.

"_I love you," _Francis whispered in my ear.

The Island they took us to didn't have a name. The soldiers told us that the inhabitants of the land affectionately called it Freedom Island. I thought it was pretty fitting. The one good thing about it…it was far away from the mainland. It was clean, no sign of infected anywhere.

Our feet touched land and we looked around in awe. People, real humans were going about their work, fixing and building whatever was needed. I was at a loss for words, so were the guys. It was a rare thing for something to make Francis speechless. I looked at him and his eyes were bugging out of his head. It had been too long since we had seen anything normal. Now, here we were watching people going about their everyday business.

It took us a while to find our place amongst the others. Our first weeks there, we did not speak to anyone. It wasn't that we did not want to, we just didn't know how. We contributed as best we could, each one doing odd little jobs here and there. It wasn't until a year had passed that we actually built our own home. Francis and I worked day and night building that house and the pride swelled in both of us as we looked at the finished work. Of course my other guys weren't left out. Bill and Louis each built themselves a room onto the house. Some would find it strange that we chose not to separated and go on, but to me…it only seemed right to have all of them there.

The day I found my calling would be a day that I would never forget. I was walking towards the makeshift market when a small building caught my attention. It wasn't the building itself but the name of the building. _"Hope for the Children," _I whispered to myself. My feet moved on their own accord as I walked inside. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the number of children. Some were reading, some playing, others just sat and stared out the window, as if they were waiting for someone. Tears clouded my vision as I looked at their tiny faces. They were all orphans…like me.

"Hi there."

I looked over at the person talking to me. She was smiling warmly at me. The first thing that caught my attention was how young she looked, maybe just a few years older than myself. I couldn't help but to smile back, even through my tears. She noticed my tears and her smile fell for a moment. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision. "Sorry," I said low.

"It's okay. It was my first reaction as well." Her voice was kind and I liked this girl immediately.

"Do you need any help here?" I asked.

Her laugh was contagious. "Do we need any help? Hunny, we need all the help we can get!"

I smiled. That was good. I needed to be here. I could feel it in my heart. I found my purpose in the sad eyes of those children. We all had something in common. I looked around again. Some of them looked at me and my heart broke for them. You could see the sadness within their small eyes. No child should ever have to look like that.

Clearing my throat, I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm Zoey," I said as I stretched my hand out for the girl to shake.

"Nice to meet you Zoey, I'm Rochelle."

She took my hand in hers and I knew that it was a start to not only a job, but a great friendship. She took me around, introducing me to the children. Some of them were happy to see a new face, very inquisitive. I laughed at their questions, questions only a child would ask. My eyes looked around and fell to a small boy sitting by himself. His back was turned towards us, as he looked out of the window. For a moment, my breath caught in my throat. It was as if I was seeing Jamie at that age. He looked so much like my little brother that it hurt. I walked over towards him, sitting down as gently as I could. His eyes never left the window, but I knew he knew I was there.

"Hi," I said softly.

He turned his head and I was met with the most gorgeous blue eyes. I wanted to cry out my little brother's name but I kept it inside. His eyes were so sad, and years beyond his age. He had seen things that no child his age should have. He turned and began staring out of the window again. My heart hurt for him.

"That's Charlie. He hasn't spoken since he arrived here. The only way we know his name is from his backpack that he was wearing," Rochelle said sadly.

I had to swallow the lump in my throat. I wanted so much to cry for this little boy, but my tears would not do anything to soften the hurt. I had to work here. I had to help these children. I stood up and turned towards Rochelle.

"Please, I want to work here."

She gave me a knowing smile. "I could use the help."

So that was that. I had a job and a newfound sense about what I needed to do with my life. It's funny how normal that made me feel. Just for a moment, I could forget about what led me to this place. Just for a moment I could forget about my own pain. I stayed there the rest of the day talking to Rochelle. The more we talked, the more we realized we had a lot in common. She had also arrived with her own 'guys', as we affectionately called them. They were from down south and fought like hell to get here. I told her that I could relate.

"Yo Rochelle, we gotta get going. Coach and Nick are waiting on us."

Zoey looked at the door as the owner of the voice walked in. He was wearing a baseball cap and sleeveless shirt with jeans. His accent spelled south all over it. I heard Rochelle chuckle beside me.

"Come on Ellis, have some manners why don't you? I'm talking to a friend at the moment," Rochelle said winking at me.

"Oh my bad, how ya doin'. My names Ellis," he said holding his hand out for me to shake.

He had kind eyes, like Rochelle. They looked a bit worn, but kind nonetheless. He began to grin and Zoey watched him thoughtfully. "Whatcha say you and me make a run for it and go on a trip cross country," he said chuckling.

Rochelle rolled her eyes as I laughed. He was pretty funny. "Well, I would love to but I don't think that my boyfriend would like that very much," I said teasingly.

I tried to ignore the disappointment in his eyes, but I saw it anyway. "Figures! Should have known there would have been a boyfriend," he said as he walked out of the door.

"You'll have to excuse Ellis. He's a good kid."

My smile was my only response. Rochelle walked over and said something to another lady just coming in for her shift. I didn't know whether I should just leave or wait for her. I chose to wait. What I really wanted was to run home and tell the guys about my job. They had been working for a while. Francis worked helping to build things. Their task at the moment was to build a wall that surrounded the island…just in case. They had started working on it months ago and the thing was huge. Louis worked with the technology on the island. There wasn't much of it, but the soldiers had salvaged what they could. Louis loved every minute of it. Bill, he was the most at peace. Not five hours after we landed on the island, Bill was at work with the soldiers. He was now enlisted back into the United States Military and trained the new recruits that registered on the island. My heart swelled with pride for him as I saw his beaming face that first day. He had always said that serving was the only time he felt useful.

"So, I'll meet you here about eight tomorrow morning?" Rochelle said walking towards me.

"Sounds good," I smiled.

With that, we walked our separate ways. The walk back to the house was a good walk. We chose to build the house away from everyone else. We had been on our own so long that the thought of being surrounded by humans were foreign to us. Rochelle was the first real conversation that I had had with anyone other than the guys.

The house loomed up ahead and for a moment, my breath was caught in my lungs. It was not the most beautiful house I had seen, but the land surrounding it was breathtaking. We had found it by accident and the moment we laid eyes on it, we knew it was our home. When the house was built, I could do nothing but cry. Francis held me, worried that I hated it. What he did not realize is that he had given me the same home and land that I had dreamed of our last night at Mercy Hospital. In my dream he had held me, talking of a place where we could grow old together. A home built around a lake. When I stood back to look at the house, I was looking into my dream.

"Hey gorgeous!" Francis called at the door.

I gave him a beautiful smile and ran towards him, throwing myself into his arms. He held me and kissed me softly. It took me a moment, but then I realized that he was home early. I leaned back and looked at him making sure nothing was wrong. His eyes sparkled and I could see a hint of nervousness in them. I thought something was wrong, but there was a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Follow me," he said as he sat me on my feet.

Without question, I entered the house and walked the stairs to our room. Francis' hands were shaking slightly, and I began to worry a little. He opened the door and stood aside to let me walk in. Something glowed in the room, in fact, several things were glowing. I entered, my eyes wide in surprise. All around me were candles, gently swaying in unison. It was so beautiful. I slowly began to turn around, looking at each one. As I turned towards Francis, I gasped as I saw him. He was down on one knee, smiling gently at me.

"Oh God," I whispered.

"Zoey, from the moment I met you, you have captured my whole being. I know that I'm not the easiest man to love and sometimes I know you want to strangle me, but you have loved all of me. You will never know what that means to me. You excepted me when I could not even except myself and not one time did you ask me to change. You stayed by my side through the worst of hell and I was just wondering if you would do the same here in paradise? I can't give you much, but I can give you everything that I am and a promise to love only you until I die. Marry me?"

Before I realized it, I was crying. I ran to him, falling down to my knees. I did not need much, just Francis. I shook my head yes, my smile growing by the minute. His smile began to match my own. _"Yes," _I breathed. He held me close as we both cried.

"_Well?" _I heard Bill scream from down stairs.

I began to laugh. I should have known that Bill and Louis would not be far away. Francis laughed, shaking his head.

"_She said yes!" _Francis screamed back.

"Well it's about damn time!"

I looked to the door and saw Bill and Louis standing there, beaming down at us. I got to my feet and walked towards them. The wrapped their arms around me, congratulating me. It was a moment I had dreamed about for a long time. When I was younger, I used to imagine how this day would be. My smile fell for a moment as I thought how my parents would have been there, and Jamie. My father would have expected the man to ask for his permission.

"Hey, they would have been so happy for you Zoey," Bill said softly. He reached under my chin, bringing my watery eyes to look at him. He could see right through me and knew where my thoughts lay. "You think so?" I asked. He slightly shook his head. "As happy for you as I am."

Two weeks later, I stood out of sight as I watched the whole town taking their seats. I was overwhelmed at the response to our wedding. I realized that these people were just as desperate for normalcy as me and the guys were. They did not know us, but it did not stop them from letting the moment wash over them. The wedding was nothing fancy. I didn't even wear a wedding dress. The closest I got was a nice white dress. I realized it didn't matter though. What mattered was that man waiting for me at the alter. I watched him from my hiding place. He had cleaned up nicely. He wore a button up, long sleeve blue shirt and ironed jeans. His goatee had been shaven to a fine line. He was beautiful.

Over the weeks I had grown close to Rochelle. We spent everyday at the orphanage together and I thought it was only fitting for her to be my maid of honor. She helped to do my hair, putting it up into a loose ball, letting ringlets fall. She had even gone to the trouble of picking dandelions to place in my hair. I felt absolutely beautiful.

"You ready?"

I looked over at Bill. He was standing beside me, looking quite handsome himself. There was no one else that I wanted to walk me down the aisle. He was the second best thing to my father. The thought of my father almost had me in tears again. Bill took my arm in his and squeezed tightly. He saw the emotions playing around on my face. I barely remembered Rochelle walking down the aisle, but I was very aware of Bill and the strength he was giving me.

"_Yes," _I whispered.

Bill guided me down the aisle. I passed faces that I did not recognize, but the smiles were the same. These people, even if they didn't know me, were genuinely happy for us. I looked over at Louis. He was standing beside Francis. His face was frozen, as if in shock. I followed his eyes and couldn't help the giggle that forced it's way out of my throat. My Louis was staring straight at Rochelle. I knew that look and it read that he was a goner. What surprised me the most is that she was looking right back at him, softly smiling. Even in the middle of my wedding the wheels began to turn in my head.

Finally, my eyes fell to the love of my life. He was staring at me, his smile was so beautiful. This was the start of a wonderful life, I could just feel it. The wedding lasted just a few minutes, but every second was worth it. When the man said Francis could kiss his bride, he took me in his arms and kissed me. There was applause and whistling all around us and I could not help but laugh. Everyone came to the reception, which wasn't much. Just a few bowls of fruit and water, but there was laughter and music. Louis had done it. He was able to project music for everyone to dance. We danced until the sun came up and even then people did not want to leave.

Francis carried me up the stairs to our room. He gently put me on my feet and we just looked into each other's eyes. He slowly lowered his lips to mine and that was all that it took. We melted into one another, feeling each other's love. He was so gentle with me that it almost surprised me. He savored every minute, searching every part of my body. I could hear him whisper beautiful over and over. He made me feel things that I had never known were possible and in the waning hours of that first day, I had my taste of what real soul mates were. We were bonded for life now.

Over the next couple of months, we got to know Rochelle and her guys quite well. Coach, Ellis and Nick became a part of our everyday life as Rochelle did. When someone was searching for one of us, they usually found us all. It took me a while to warm up to Nick. He was sarcastic, more than Francis was, but I began to realize that that is how he dealt with everything. Slowly, I began to see him as I saw the others. Francis loved picking at Ellis, but you could tell that it was all in fun. Coach was a big teddy bear, but sometimes I could see the hardness outlined in his eyes. He had lost everything as we all did. We all fit together well and I won't lie about how surprised I was. Rochelle became like a sister to me. She was a breath of fresh air. I began to watch as her and Louis became close. They would sit and talk for hours. When they didn't think anyone was watching, Louis would take her hand in his and hold it. She would smile at him the way I used to smile at Francis when I first fell in love with him.

A year had passed since Francis and I got married. We had our first fight the moment I realized I was pregnant. I was stunned and elated and Francis…well, he was just scared out of his mind. He began to pace around the room after I told him the news. His hands were holding the sides of his face. I felt as if he had slapped me. I was expecting him to be so happy. There was a part of him and a part of me growing inside my stomach, but he looked as if he were going to be sick.

"Why are you being like this?" I asked angrily.

He froze in his tracks and turned his scared eyes towards me. "Why? Are you really asking me that Zoey? Look around us, what kind of life is that kid gonna have?"

The tears began to fall. This was not what I pictured this moment to be at all. He noticed my tears and the hardness on his face melted. "I never thought about having kids Zoey. But, with you, I wanted them. I am scared to death about what life this child can have. I want it to have all the things I never did, but how can that happen?"

"It will Francis. It begins a life with two parents that will love it completely. That is something that you and I don't have anymore. I'm scared to you know, but I want this to be a happy time. We are going to be parent's Francis," I said crying.

Francis walked towards me, wrapping me in his arms. I could feel him shaking. _"I am happy Zoey, but I am also scared to death. I'm not used to being scared,"_ he whispered.

We stood in the middle of our room, holding on tightly to one another. I knew that bringing a child into this world was going to be hard. I knew that this child had a lot of disadvantages starting out, but he would have love. He would have a family that would guard him with their love. We could get through this and give this baby a fighting chance. Francis finally calmed down and began to apologize over and over for his reaction. I think it hit him that he was going to be a father and it took him longer to get a handle on that. We told Bill and Louis. They were ecstatic. Even Bill was smiling brightly at me. He laid his hand gently on my stomach and I could see the emotion in his eyes.

"_Life goes on I guess," _he whispered.

Next I told Rochelle and she squealed with excitement. She kept saying how she always wanted to be an aunt and I couldn't help but giggle along with her. As a woman, she understood better than the men what this meant to me. I knew by everyone's reaction that this baby was going to be just fine. He or she would not want for anything.

I was five months pregnant and sitting on the porch of our house. I could hear Francis and the guys down by the lake. They had made them a makeshift rod and wanted to catch some fish for supper. I sat in the chair, rocking back and forth, enjoying the cool air. Rochelle and the guys would join us later. The baby was kicking up a storm and I just smiled. I absolutely loved that feeling. There was no way to describe the love I felt for this baby.

"Is it kicking?" I opened my eyes to see Rochelle's smiling face. I shook my head yes and she ran to lay her hand on my stomach. She loved to feel the kicks. Her face lit up as the tiny foot punched her palm. I looked over at the lake and saw Coach, Ellis and Nick joining the guys. There were handshakes and then the men went to work. Rochelle and I sat in silence listening to the birds chirp and the animals scurry on the ground. It was a day I would never forget.

I don't know much time passed, but something caught my attention. I couldn't put my finger on it at first but I knew something had changed. I opened my eyes and let it adjust to the bright light. My heart began to pound. My eyes looked at Rochelle, but she didn't seem to notice the change. Looking down at the lake, I realized they guys didn't either. I thought that maybe I was being silly. I listened more closely and realized that I wasn't imagining it. I got to my feet and slowly walked around the back of the house.

"Zoey? Where are you going," I heard Rochelle call behind me.

Her voice got the attention of Francis and he watched me with confusion. I did not stop to explain. I had to know that what I felt was something I just made up. The tears began to cloud my vision, but I continued to walk to the back of the house.

"Zoey!" I heard Francis yell.

My feet began to speed up. I wasn't quite running, but I wasn't walking either. My breath began to come out in pants and I could feel the baby kicking nonstop. I reached the back of the house and stood there just listening. I did not bother to wipe the tears away. If what I felt was truth, there would be no amount of tears to stop it.

"Zoey, what's wrong?" I felt Francis grab my arm and turn me towards him. His concerned eyes searched me over, looking for any signs that I was hurt. "Is it the baby?"

I swallowed, trying to find my voice. _"Listen…" _I whispered.

Francis stopped moving and looked around. He began to concentrate, trying to figure out what exactly he was listening for. I could hear the others coming to a stop around us. I did not dare take my eyes away from Francis. I wanted it to sink in, but all I saw was confusion.

"Zoey, I don't hear anything," he said slowly. I shook my head in agreement. He heard exactly what I did. He heard nothing.

"_Where are the birds chirping? Where are the animals running around? Where are the damn noises that should be around Francis?" _I screamed.

He did not answer my question. None of them did. I wanted to hammer into them what was happening, but they didn't get it.

"Zoey, why don't we go inside for a bit," Rochelle spoke up. She gently grabbed my arm and I shook her off. I was desperate to make them realize.

"She's right," came Bill's low voice.

Everyone whipped their heads around to the older man. He was looking past them, to the part of the woods that could not be seen. Zoey breathed a sigh of relief, Bill understood. The feeling of relief did not last long though. The day that started out with the sun shining brightly and the feeling that anything was possible ended with a scream that pierced every living soul that heard it.

**The End. Now, it is your turn to decide for yourself what their fate was! I can't do everything for you…lol! Thank you so much for the wild ride. I wish I could write on and maybe I will start another story, I mean there are four campaigns. We will just have to see. **

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